The Košice public transit system operates in Košice, Slovakia; services are managed by the Košice Transit Company.

History

The Košice transit company was founded in 1891 by Stefan Popper, who built the first track for a horse-drawn tramway. The company had the Magyar name Kassai Közúti Vasút – KKK ("Košice Street Railway"). In 1914, all tram tracks were electrified and the transit company was renamed as Kassai Villamos Közúti Vasút (English "Košice electric tramway lines"). The tram system was destroyed in World War I and again in World War II. In 1945, at the end of hostilities, the system was rebuilt again. Nowadays, the public transport company is called Dopravný podnik mesta Košice ("Transit Company of the City of Košice").

System

The Košice public transit system includes trams, buses, and trolleybuses. There are 16 tram lines, 41 bus routes and 7 night bus routes. While there are 2 trolleybus lines, they do not currently see regular service. As of 2021, trams line covered a total length of 178 km and bus routes covered a total length of 682.8 km. The system extends from the city center to industrial areas and outlying villages near the city.

Fares

The fare has changed over the years, costing 6 SKK for students and children less than 15 years of age, and 12 SKK for people 15 years and older as of 2008. Slovakia adopted the euro in 2009. In 2010, the tickets cost 0,25 € for students, and children less than 15 years of age, and 0,55 € for people 15 years and older. In 2019, a strike caused tickets to become more expensive. As of 2020, tickets cost 0.90 € for adults 15 to 62 years of age, and 0.45 € for children and adults over 62 years of age. All travellers must have a valid travel ticket. Passengers older than 70 years, handicapped people, and members of parliament travel for free. Tickets are single-use and time-limited to a particular day, week, or month, though students have concessions to this requirement. Contactless smart cards issued by most Slovak public transport companies are accepted. Passengers using them can obtain tickets at lowered prices upon boarding in card validators. Virtual tickets, available from a range of third party applications, were made available in 2021. Virtual tickets and contactless cards offer season tickets for one, three, six and twelve months. Cards, which are not time-limited, are available to employees. Tickets can also be bought using SMS for 1.10 €.

Vehicles

Trams

In use

Retired

Buses

In use

Retired

Night bus

The city is served by seven night bus lines numbered N1 to N7 from 23:10 to 04:30. Night services run at an hourly interval, and during the nights before a working day, the interval after 01:00 is extended to 90 minutes. The buses depart from Staničné námestie ("Station Square") in the centre of Košice.

Trolleybuses

In 2015, the city underwent a mass track reconstruction which resulted in the temporary stoppage of these services. The Škoda 14TrM returned to service in 2018, and it traveled on Sundays until early 2020. DPMK also refurbished a Škoda 15Tr which restarted service on 22 June 2019 for "trolleybus day", alongside a second Škoda 15Tr that was refurbished by volunteers in cooperation with Československý Dopravák. A special route was followed that took passengers to the "trolleybus cemetery", where trolleybuses in 2015 or earlier were discarded.

In use

Retired