Passazhiravtotrans resumed operation of the Minsk Automobile Plant MAZ buses after a prior recall caused by fire incidents. The information came from the press service of the St. Petersburg enterprise involved in the situation.
The update stated that MAZ engineers and technicians modified the buses to address the fire risk and strengthen safety systems. In addition, plant representatives now monitor the technical condition of all buses on the routes on a daily basis to ensure reliability and prevent any recurrence of the problem.
The manufacturer issued a certificate for each vehicle confirming its safety and enabling it to return to service. Buses with no outstanding safety comments are cleared to run on the lines, according to the company announcement.
Earlier in August Passazhiravtotrans contracted St. Petersburg to manage 137 MAZ 203047 buses arriving in the city. Under new procurement terms established in 2023, the company stated that these buses would not be added to the Passazhiravtotrans fleet until all safety comments were resolved and verified satisfactory.
To address the bus issues, a joint commission was formed at the enterprise with representatives from MAZ and the authorized service body of the state emergency ministry. A fire testing laboratory in St. Petersburg conducted a detailed investigation to determine the root causes of the bus fires and to guide corrective actions across the fleet.
Throughout the past year media coverage highlighted several large bus fires in the city, prompting official inquiries and actions from Rosstandart and bus manufacturers. In response, the relevant stakeholders coordinated recalls and implemented additional safety measures to prevent future incidents, including tighter inspection protocols and enhanced maintenance procedures across the operator’s network.
In another unrelated matter, there was an incident involving a vehicle with diplomatic plates that breached traffic rules in Murmansk. This case underscored the ongoing attention to compliance and safety in municipal and public transport operations across regions.