Amid extreme heat, residents of Tashkent are once again complaining en masse about non-working air conditioners in buses. On social media, passengers write that trips on public transport have become a real ordeal, and calls to the hotline often go unanswered.
The trigger for a new wave of discussions was a post by a resident on the platform 'Potrebitel.uz', who said that drivers of route 18 regularly explain the lack of cooling by faulty air conditioners.
'At stops you fry under a metal roof, you get on the bus — even worse. Drivers of route 18 regularly refer to faulty air conditioners. But it can't be that they don't work for weeks. And this is during the heat,' she wrote.
The post quickly garnered dozens of comments. Many reported facing the same problem not only on route 18, but also on routes 14, 17, 26, 31, 40, 54, 62, 86, 95, 99, 104, 109, 137, 143, 148, 183, and 185.
Some passengers claim that air conditioners do not work at all, others say they are turned off during the ride. Some note that after a bus ride, it feels cooler outside than inside the cabin. Others admit they have started deliberately choosing routes with transfers just to avoid traveling in stuffy transport.
'Today I rode bus 86 — it's not a bus, it's a sauna. The driver said he has to work with a faulty air conditioner,' one user wrote.
At the same time, many commenters believe it is unfair to blame drivers. In their opinion, the problem is related to the technical condition of the buses and a shortage of spare parts. Others, conversely, suggest that air conditioners may be turned off to save fuel.
Passengers on route 17, which runs between the Chorsu shopping center and the village of Geofizikov, also complained about the air conditioning. According to witnesses, during the trip the driver explained that the air conditioner was not turned on because 'the temperature inside the bus is already 28 degrees.' However, the Main Department of Transport and Road Transport Infrastructure Development of Tashkent had previously clarified that on April 30, all carriers were instructed to turn on air conditioning systems when the outside air temperature exceeds 28 degrees. Thus, the criterion for operating the cooling system is the outside temperature, not the inside temperature.
Residents also complain about the 1062 hotline, which they call regarding non-working air conditioners in buses.
'1062 does not respond, I also called with a complaint about bus 109 — zero result,' one user wrote.
Tashkent residents urge carriers to pay attention to the situation, noting that in conditions where the air temperature has exceeded 40 degrees for several days, proper operation of air conditioners becomes not a matter of comfort, but a matter of safety for passengers and drivers.
Source: podrobno.uz