Check suspicious buses

Safety in bus circulation depends on technical factors and the human factor.

But, from the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure insinuation, they say, however, Kosovo has a good bus fleet, both technically and visually, while the Technical Control Centres are inspected in regular but extraordinary shape.

However, even communication experts, but even officials of the Inspectorate, consider that there are cases when buses do not meet technical criteria in circulation.

Krasniqi: Bus status disappointing

The expert on communications issues, Muhamet Krasniqi, director of the Temple College in Pristina, tells Radio Europe Free of charge that what is seen in communications, does not rarely raise doubts, whether they are in regular technical condition, but also for certain drivers.

“We cannot be satisfied with the level, with the technical state of vehicles, but also with the professional competence of drivers, as well as with road infrastructure in Kosovo. These drivers, in addition to having a corresponding category of driving based on law, also have to maintain constant training so that they can be informed of the news and the eventual completion of conventions, which are dedicated to that kind of transport”, Krasniqi says.

He adds that based on local but international legislation, vehicles that provide services in public transportation, in this case of travelers, are required that, in addition to regular technical control, periodical control should be conducted at least twice a year.

For half a year, 38 fines for Technical Control Centers
Kosovo's technical control of vehicles, based on data provided by the Department of Inspectorate of the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, is conducted at 135 Automotive Technical Control Centres, which are licensed by this ministry. Of this number, 59 such centers serve for technical control of vehicles measuring over 3.5 tons, including buses but also trucks for cargo transport.

The Technical Control Centers provide three types of technical checkups - regular annual inspections for all vehicles; periodic inspections for all commercial vehicles, including heavy - weightd vehicles, as well as extraordinary inspections that are conducted on traffic police or other responsible ones.

Cerkin Dukoli, head of the Ministry's Department of Inspectorate, in a conversation with Radio Free Europe, says that inspection of the Technical Control Centers, to see if they do the job they are licensed to do, takes place four to five times a year, depending on the work these centers or even complaints, as well as the information they receive from the ground.

In the first six months of this year alone, Dukoli says, 261 record inspections have been conducted at the country's level.

We've pronounced 38 fines. It's mostly warrantary fines. Of them are three to the owners of the centres, while 35 are to the centre's responsible persons. We have 16 initiatives of the procedure for prosecution in basic courts, in general departments, which work within the Intervention Division. Fines have been largely given for concessions that have occurred in administrative terms, meanwhile, concessions in terms of technical order, we have not met”, Dukoli says.

He adds that 555 inspections of the Technical Control Centres were conducted during 2020, which resulted in 80 anti-victual or mandate fines, of which 20 to owners and 60 to responsible persons in the centre. Meanwhile, nine anti-verbal procedures have been initiated in basic courts in the country. Fines are 500 per person responsible already 1,000 euros for the company. Any sanctions exceeding 1,000 euros are initiated for the court.

Demiri: After technical checkup, bus maintenance is neglected
Yusuf Demiri, owner of the Professional Ing company, which is licensed for technical control of vehicles, including those of heavy weights over 3.5 tons, says he has never received any fines from the Inspectorate so far because he is punctually implementing law checks.

He points out that on the basis of what citizens see, there are designated buses that are in circulation and that because of aesthetic restraint, they seem to be out of regular technical condition. But, according to him, road transport operators, when sending buses for technical control, prepare in advance.

When they come for technical control, they prepare to pass the test under the conditions and requirements we have with available laws. Other irregularities, however, can happen another two or three days after, a month or three months after technical control is conducted and the vehicle is technically out of order. It's about maintenance, roads, and all that can negatively affect. The police member can take the vehicle to extraordinary control, and there are times when we control it and give it the real state of vehicle”, Demiri points out.

Krasniqi: The Insector to Do His Work

The expert on communications issues, Muhamet Krasniqi, says that despite the appearance of a bus, it raises doubts that it may not be technically okay, if there is a document issued by any of the licensed technical control centres that the bus meets the technical criteria, then that document should be firmly believed.

But do the technical checks of all Centers for Technical Control in the country apply punctually, and do road transport operators find opportunities to bypass these controls?

The “Organi of the Inspectorate does his job and would have to do his job of evaluating the conditions of these centres (for technical control)”, Krasniqi says.

Police Job
But the head of the Inspectorate, Dukoli, says that heavyweight vehicles have a legal obligation to conduct periodic checkups.

“A conducts all of it or not, I cannot say this answer, because this is more of a police inspection on the street. We, within the calendar year, always have a joint inspection on the street, which we do with traffic police. There we may encounter a vehicle that has not completed technical control - both regular and periodic. But then, this completely passes on to the share of police penalties, according to traffic law”, Dukoli says.

Kosovo police told Radio Free Europe that between January 1st and July 26th of this year, a total of 1,437 fines for counter-injury have been imposed, according to laws in force for perpetrators such as extraordinary technical control, six-month technical auditing and driving away from traffic.