New staff, trolleybuses and technologies. How Mykolaiv's public electric transport is being renewed in the midst of war
photo: In 2023, Mykolaiv received 7 new Dnipro T203 trolleybuses. Photo: Mykolaiv Electrotrans
In early March, Mykolaiv Electrotrans announced another round of enrollment for free courses for future trolleybus and tram drivers. The training is to start on April 15 and will last 14 weeks. The municipal carrier offers a monthly scholarship of UAH 7.1 thousand for the duration of the training, and after graduation, official employment and a full social package. This was reported by the press service of the Mykolaiv City Council.
The problem of staff renewal and recruitment is very painful for Mykolaiv Electrotrans, so the utility regularly recruits trolleybus and tram drivers. According to the director of the municipal carrier, Yurii Smetana, 33 students have completed trolleybus driver training courses since the start of the full-scale invasion and are already working for the company. "In December, another 15 people started training under this program. We also have a group of six future tram drivers which are currently training" the director told NikVesti.
Booking employees
Currently, Mykolaiv Electrotrans has about 700 employees, some of them are new people who started working after the full-scale invasion. At the same time, some employees were mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the current legislation, Mykolaiv Electrotrans can book 50% of its employees who are liable for military service. The company's director, Yurii Smetana, hopes that the legislation will be amended to allow up to 75% of employees to be booked.
"The state provides an opportunity to strengthen the work of utility companies with qualified, young, professional staff. By doing so, we are making it clear to future employees that they will be protected from mobilization if they come to Mykolaiv Electrotrans. And this will be an additional incentive to go to work", he said.
New trolleybuses
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 31 trolleybuses have been damaged by shelling in Mykolaiv. 18 units of those were damaged in July 2022, when the trolleybus depot was shelled directly. Most of the damaged trolleybuses were received in 2021 under a cooperation program with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
In 2023, Mykolaiv continued to upgrade its trolleybus fleet. Over the past year, Mykolaiv Electrotrans received 7 new Dnipro T203 trolleybuses, which began running on city routes at the beginning of this year. Now the total number of trolleybuses in Mykolaiv is 37. Mykolaiv Electrotransalso plans to purchase another 30 battery trolleybuses that can travel without a contact network for a distance of up to 20 km. In October 2023, the company announced a tender for EBRD loans. Unfortunately, the city's tram fleet has not been updated.
Tickets by QR code
In addition to hiring new staff and updating rolling stock, Mykolaiv Electrotrans is also working on introducing new technologies, including fare collection. Starting from December 22, 2023 passengers can pay for urban electric transport using a single QR code for customers of all Ukrainian banks. Previously, only PrivatBank customers could purchase electronic trolleybus or tram tickets through the corresponding app. During the first two weeks, almost 30 thousand passengers paid for electric transport using a single QR code.
Electric transport network of Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv's public electric transport network is operated by Mykolaiv Electrotrans, a municipal carrier. There are 6 trolleybus and 6 tram routes available to passengers. They are operated by 37 trolleybuses and 29 trams. The total length of the trolleybus system is 61.1 km, and the tram system is 69.6 km.
In addition to electric vehicles, 300 minibuses of private carriers and 21 buses belonging to the Mykolaiv Electrotrans utility company also operate on city routes.