The Architecture of Movement: Transport as Part of Urban Planning

Modern public transport must meet the changing demands of a metropolis. This concerns not only the number of vehicles, but also the comfort of the journey, technical reliability, accessibility and environmental impact.

Road Transport Day is a good occasion to remember those whose work rarely finds itself in the spotlight, but without whom the life of a modern city is impossible to imagine. For Almatyelektrotrans LLP, this is a professional holiday for the people who keep one of Kazakhstan's largest cities moving and help it maintain its usual rhythm even during the busiest hours.

A scale measured by daily work

Public transport is far more than buses on the streets. Behind every service run is a complex system in which drivers, technical services, dispatchers and specialists responsible for releasing rolling stock onto the line must work in coordination. There are no secondary tasks here: timely departure, the serviceability of vehicles and adherence to the timetable directly affect how comfortable the journey will be for the passenger.

Almatyelektrotrans brings together five bus depots, a trolleybus depot and a school bus fleet that daily connect different districts of Almaty, helping residents reach their workplaces and places of study, medical institutions, social facilities and interchange points for other modes of public transport. This is a large team in which the driver is responsible for passenger safety on the road, the mechanic checks the vehicle's readiness for the run, the dispatcher monitors the organisation of traffic, and technical specialists ensure the equipment remains operational. The passenger sees the result of their joint work in the simplest and most important things: the transport arrives, the doors open, the journey continues.

Renewal as part of the city's development

An important stage in the development of Almatyelektrotrans was the renewal of its trolleybus fleet. In 2023-2024, the company received 212 new trolleybuses.

Electric transport holds a special place in urban mobility: it allows large numbers of passengers to be carried without exhaust emissions directly during the journey. Alongside the renewal of rolling stock, modernising the infrastructure is also important - the overhead contact network, cable lines and traction substations on which the stable operation of trolleybuses depends.

Today the rolling stock serves nine routes, where the average passenger flow is around 130,000 people a day.

At the same time, the renewal of the bus fleet continues. In 2026, the company is introducing new buses on selected routes, including Golden Dragon, replacing part of the previously operated vehicles and increasing capacity on high-demand routes. Such changes help maintain the technical readiness of the transport and take passenger flow needs into account.

Behind the renewal are not only new vehicles, but also the need to improve the work of the entire system: from organising vehicle release to maintenance and repair. After all, a modern bus must be more than just new - it must go out on the line every day and do its job.

A special responsibility - school transport

The company has one area of work in which the concept of reliability takes on special significance - transporting children.

For a child, the school bus becomes part of the daily route, and for parents, an important factor in their peace of mind. In the morning, children must be delivered to the start of lessons on time; after lessons, their return home must be ensured. Such work requires well-planned organisation, adherence to the timetable and heightened attention to safety.

In Almaty, the school transport programme covers dozens of educational institutions. According to the education department, in 2026, 12,794 children use school buses, and transport is carried out on routes covering 61 schools. The number of buses involved and the timetable are determined taking into account requests from educational institutions and the needs of families.

School transport is equipped with safety features, including seat belts, video surveillance and navigation systems, as well as the equipment needed to transport children with special needs. Adult supervision is provided on journeys.

Behind each such route lies responsibility not only to passengers, but also to their families. Here the driver's attentiveness, the technical serviceability of the bus and the coordination of all those involved are especially important.

A profession in which everyone matters

Working in transport requires a combination of professional skills, composure and discipline. City roads are unpredictable: traffic intensity changes, congestion occurs, and weather conditions affect travel speed. A public transport driver must take all of this into account while staying attentive to the road situation and the passengers in the cabin.

No less important is the work of those who remain behind the scenes. Technical specialists prepare vehicles for departure, carry out maintenance and repairs, and check equipment. Dispatch services coordinate the operation of routes. Their decisions determine how steadily the company copes with the daily workload.

This profession also has a special continuity. Experienced employees pass on to younger colleagues knowledge that cannot be gained from instructions alone: the ability to act in a difficult situation, to understand the equipment, to remain calm and to feel responsible for one's work.

A notable example is the company's trolleybus driver with 44 years of service, Turgunzhan Autov, who was awarded the Order of Qurmét in September 2026. Behind this story lie decades of professional life and dedication to a cause that demands constant attention and tolerates no indifference.

A movement that brings people together

Developing public transport is a continuous process. The city changes, new residential areas appear, and the need grows for convenient interchanges and a more rational organisation of routes. Alongside this, requirements for vehicles, infrastructure and service quality change.

For a transport company, development means being ready to meet these challenges: renewing the fleet, maintaining its technical condition, improving the organisation of services and paying attention to safety. An important part of this work remains the modernisation of infrastructure, including working conditions for employees and facilities for servicing vehicles.

But in the end, public transport is judged by people's everyday experience. Did they manage to get to work on time? Was the journey comfortable? Did their child get to school safely? It is from such seemingly small circumstances that trust in the city's transport system is built.

On Road Transport Day, I would like to wish everyone who keeps Almaty moving every day safe roads, reliable vehicles, attentive passengers and due recognition for their work. After all, behind every bus and trolleybus stands a person, and behind every route, a shared cause.

As long as the city keeps moving, the work of transport staff continues. And in this daily movement lies their professional responsibility, their contribution to the development of Almaty and their quiet but genuinely important service to the city.