The municipal carrier "Vladimirpassazhirtrans" will receive two Volgabus pilot buses in the coming days for test operation on city routes. The press service of the Vladimir administration published pictures of both vehicles and reported details following the visit of the acting head of the city, Sergey Volkov, to the Bakulin Motors Group plant in the Sobinsky district.
The first vehicle is an articulated Volgabus 6271 "CityRhythm 18" 18 meters long, with 38 seats and a total capacity of up to 180 passengers. The second is a tri-axle bus 13 meters long, designed for more than 50 seats and up to 115 passengers in total.
In the photos from the visit, a green 12-meter Volgabus 5270 "CityRhythm 12" in a CNG gas version was also spotted next to the Volgabus 6271. Following the testing, the city plans to hold tenders for the purchase of four buses.
The test coincided with another problem: the warranty period for more than 70 previously purchased Volgabus vehicles expired in 2025, and the fleet faced operational difficulties. The mileage of most buses ranges from 150 to 220 thousand km. The plant sent a technical team to the territory of "Vladimirpassazhirtrans", which has already begun work. In addition, it was decided to create a dedicated technical center that will serve exclusively the Vladimir fleet — both during and after the warranty period.
At the same time, the administration intends to solve the problem of cold interiors in existing buses: according to her, complaints about this are received regularly. The issue will be considered through repair or complete replacement of furnace equipment.
According to the publication "Chesnok", Vladimir has a long and difficult history with Volgabus. Under Governor Svetlana Orlova, the city acquired 20 gas-powered buses — a third of them had serious engine problems in the first six months of operation, the vehicles broke down, and subsequently the entire fleet was written off. A new batch, purchased in 2023–2024 on a loan of 2 billion rubles, also began to malfunction: some vehicles had gearbox failures, and "Vladimirpassazhirtrans" spent several million rubles to replace them. At the same time, the warranty period for the buses was only 12 months.