Taxi transport is a huge expence for students from Stip

By Bisera Srceva, Sabina Trajkova, Gjorgji Efremov and Kire Andonov

The lack of public transport in Stip increases the costs of students up to 2000 – 3000 denars per month, costs that they usualy spend on a taxi services. The faculties are located on different campuses apart from one another in some cases with few kilometers, so the students are forced to travel constantly from campus to another.

For Filip Donev, a student at Electro – technical faculty at the campus 2, it would be a great relief if the city introduce public transport.

-For transport only I spend up to 2160 denars per month or 80 denars only in one direction. Not counting week days.

If students travel from the city center to the campus 4 as the most distant campus of all, in average it can cost more than 2500 denars per month, only for transport.

We have asked the university’s recorate if they have initiated something in order to financialy help the students, so that they can ease the mobility of their 6000 – 7000 active students in Stip.

-There was a public transport organized by the company Kit – go, with bus lines from and to all university campuses, but I think that there was not enough interest by the students, states Kiril Barbareev, vice – rector for development, investments and maintenance on the University Goce Delcev in Stip. He adds that the possible reason for the low interest was mismatches of the bus lines with the lectures.

Dejan Kitanov from the Kit – go company says that there weren’t specific bus lines to all campuses.

-The bus line started in 8 a.m. from the settlement named Babi, and it drove through the city center and it went to the campus 2 and after that to the campus 4. And the line back was around 2 p.m. This line is still working, but it is reassigned for transport for high school students, he says.

A student from the Faculty of philology at the campus 4, Biljana Georgieva says that the students used the line, at least for one direction.

-We were using the line at 8 a.m. to the campus 4 and the buses were full all the time. For the way back we were taking a taxi since the bus line was heading back at 2 p.m. Waiting for the transport back to the city center lasted whole day, she comments.

The only profit from the students at the moment have the taxi companies in town.

-Students are regular users of the taxi services. The profit is huge during the period when they are at faculties. The work is reduced during their brake period, states Zoran Makaronov, a taxi driver.

The authorities from the municipality of Stip don’t have a concrete solution for the problem with the public transport either. The council for public relations at the local government, Dragan Ristov for the Balkan Youth Newsroom stated:

-According to the initial plan, we will establish bus lines from Stip and the nearest municiplaity Karbinci to the villages close to these municiplaities first. When the analyses will be finalized and reviewed, we will then see how can we proceed.

The common position of the students that we have asked about this issue is that the university transport is not used because there is not enough bus lines and that the transport companies operate rarely. The local authorities do not have developed strategy about this issue either.

The montly costs of the students for transport and for accomodation in Stip are almost identical. It will be a huge financial help for students if the authorites find solution for this problem. Money spent for transport can be spent for books and other expenses that will only increase the quality of the students education.