Estonia, Transport

Atko is unable to comment on the matter or disclose its position until the relevant documents have been received from the North Estonian Public Transport Center, the bus operator told.

First, the plan is to replace Atko Liinid OU with another carrier on the student routes of the rural municipality of Harku, but the public transport center will also start preparing for the termination of contracts concerning western and eastern direction routes in Harju County.

Vello Jogisoo, head of the North Estonian Public Transport Center, said that certain conditions have to be met for the early termination of contracts and the bus company must have carried out two major violations. However, a major violation does not have to be a single case, but can be gathered from individual smaller episodes. Until now, one major violation by Atko had been registered over the years. Now, however, smaller violations amounting to a bigger breach have been gathered together.

According to Jogisoo, one of the most extreme cases occurred this week as a bus driver who had been working for 16 hours was found behind the wheel of an Atko bus.

Harku rural municipality mayor Erik Sandla said that the rural municipality's clear interest is that the public transport center terminate contracts with Atko as quickly as possible. "We want children to be able to go to school with a new carrier in September, at least from the middle of September," Sandla said.

However, Jogisoo said that the changes cannot take place that quickly. "Today, we have not yet issued the contract cancellation documents to Atko, thus nothing can happen in a month's time yet, either," he said.

The process may end up dragging along as well should Atko contest the contract cancellation. "Of course, we have to ensure safe travel for the passengers, but we cannot overlook the fact that Atko services more than half of the public transport in Harju County," Jogisoo said.

He added that before the cancellation of contracts, all nuances of the violations must be very clearly justified and registered. "All arguments must hold in court. We cannot make a mistake even with a single decimal point," he said.

Toomas Korenev, field manager of the traffic group of the traffic supervision center of the North Prefecture of the Police and Border Guard Board, said that most of the problems that Atko bus drivers have stood out to the police with have to do with disregarding drivers' work and rest requirements. Buses are also often in poor technical condition, with engine oil and fuel leaks, problems with the braking system, lights and tires in poor condition and seat belts broken or missing altogether, Koronev added.

Altogether 26 people were injured in a collision of a bus with a truck in Meremoisa on July 18. The accident took place at 1:10 p.m. in the 27th kilometer of the Tallinn-Rannamoisa-Kloogaranna road where an Atko bus collided with a stationary trailer truck with Lithuanian number plates and switched on hazard warning lights that was parked on the side of the road.

Atko Liinid OU is servicing western and eastern direction public routes across rural municipality borders in Harju County as well as students routes within the rural municipality of Harku. The bus company has 24 departures in the western direction and 17 in the eastern direction. Atko is the carrier on 11 student routes in the rural municipality of Harku and also operates the routes of several rural municipalities.