Buses won't be taking the tunnel

City buses are unlikely to be seen in the Blanka or Strahov tunnels any time soon. A feasibility study by transport operator ROPID made for Prague City Hall shows that routes would not be efficient. ROPID examined four possible routes.

Prague 6 objected to routes from Smíchov to Vítězné náměstí and from Dejvice to Letňany, as the district does not want more buses to use Vítězné náměstí as a terminal stop.

A third route would go from Na Knížecí through the Strahov tunnel to Kajetánka and Dedina and then to Václav Havel Airport Prague. The route currently is not possible, though, until a turn at Radimova street at Kajetánka is rebuilt as part of separate project to renovate that area.

The final route considered would have gone from Smíchov to Prosek and Letňany, through both the Strahov and Blanka tunnels, with a stop at Hradčanská. ROPID determined that the route was too long and would be subject to too many delays. ROPID further said that the money to make a bus line through the tunnels feasible could be better spent on other projects.

ROPID is also in the process of evaluating the changes made to transportation in 2016 and evaluating possible changes for 2017. The new route for the 15 tram from Kotlářka to Olšanské náměstí has proven so popular that from April 2017 it will have two-car trams instead of single-car trams. This change will not require additional spending.

More service might be added to bus 119 to Václav Havel Airport Prague. The route is crowded at peak times. One complication is the limited waiting area for buses at metro stop Nádraží Veleslavín. There are also concerns about traffic capacity at the airport. ROPID states that the service could be increased without the need for additional spending, however.

City districts are also asking for increases to bus service at peak times or changes to routes. The total cost of the changes amounts to Kč 240 million. While many of the requests for changes are legitimate, ROPID says that it lacks drivers to increase service at peak times. It would only be possible to increase service at non-peak times. ROPID intends to propose changes to routes to the City Council.