The quality of public transit in the Liberec Region is improving. This is evident from data analysis and regular inspections.

The Public Transportation Coordinator (KORID LK), which, among other activities, oversees compliance with technical and quality standards in public transportation, has recorded a decrease in non-compliance of up to half in regional scheduled service. Inspections are conducted by inspectors on board vehicles (transport inspections, checks of quality standards on board), using data from the IDOL Central Dispatch Center (hereinafter “CED IDOL”), and through the so-called “mystery shopping” method (mystery shopping).

“The quality and reliability of public transportation are important factors in how passengers perceive it, which is why we monitor it daily and evaluate it regularly,” says Jan Sviták, Deputy Governor in charge of the Department of Transportation. “The available data processed by KORID LK shows a positive trend in the improvement of public transportation quality in our region. And even though occasional problems cannot be avoided, our central dispatch center is able to quickly resolve any emergencies that arise in cooperation with the transit operators,” states Sviták. The most important indicators—and at the same time the largest volume of data—are available automatically directly from the Central Dispatch Center.

In scheduled service for the year 2024, 775,003 trips were tracked. For more than 99% of these trips, IDOL data was sent to the Central Dispatch Center for evaluation. Among the most serious non-conformities, 43 cases (0.005%) were recorded in which a service did not depart at all or departed only partially. This represents a year-over-year decrease of two-thirds. The most common cause was a vehicle malfunction or an accident. Adherence to the schedule was also monitored. Delays exceeding 2 minutes occurred in 366 cases (0.047%), representing a year-over-year decrease of approximately half (from 729). Delays of more than 10 minutes were recorded in 483 cases (0.062%), which is about one-third fewer than last year. In addition, the dispatch center monitors compliance with the requirement for barrier-free accessible vehicles (successfully met in more than 99.9% of cases) and the deployment of the correct type (size) of vehicle (met in more than 99% of cases).

Transport operators are fined for failing to meet the prescribed quality standards. “Based on data automatically generated by CED IDOL, a proposal was submitted in 2024 to impose fines on carriers totaling 1,031,500 CZK. While this represents a decrease of approximately 800 thousand, it demonstrates an improvement in quality on the part of the carriers, and we are pleased to see this trend,” explains Otto Pospíšil, managing director of KORID LK. “Our goal, of course, is not to issue as many fines as possible, but to work with carriers to improve and maintain the high quality of public transportation and present it as reliable,” adds Pospíšil.

Ultimately, after accounting for penalties imposed as part of quality standard inspections in vehicles, the Liberec Region’s Department of Transportation imposed penalties totaling 1,389.500.00 for regular-route transport and a total of 1,842,350.50 for rail transport. KORID LK, spol. s r.o., Public Transport Coordinator for the Liberec Region, U Jezu 642/2a, 461 80 Liberec 2 • Tel.: +420 488 588 788 E-mail: info@korid.cz • Company ID: 272 67 351 • Tax ID: CZ27267351 • Bank details: Komerční banka a.s., account no.: 35-5526710237/0100 The company is registered in the Commercial Register at the Regional Court in Ústí nad Labem, Section C, File No. 21625 • www.korid.cz

Quality control also takes place directly on board the vehicles. Inspectors focus not only on fare compliance during checks of passengers and drivers, but also on the condition of the vehicles. “Although quality indicators are improving, last year we were forced to issue approximately twice as many fines to passengers and drivers for violations of the terms of carriage, totaling 334,500 Kč,” says Rostislav Mocko, head of IDOL’s Central Dispatch Center. The coordinator recommends that passengers eligible for a discount check the validity of their proof of eligibility. This applies especially to students.

If passengers have their own suggestions, comments, or complaints, they can, of course, also contact the Helpdesk at info@korid.cz. If a passenger’s connection did not arrive or if a connection between services was jeopardized, they can contact the Central Dispatch Center directly by calling 704 702 000. KORID publishes service disruptions on its X account (formerly Twitter).

Overview of Fines: