Buses in Prague


Bus services in Prague are provided by a number of transport operators, the chief of which is Dopravní podnik hlavního města Prahy, a.s.. Almost all city and suburban buses are run as part of the Pražská integrovaná doprava network, under the management of the regional organizing agency ROPID.

History

The first buses in Prague were operated experimentally in 1908 in the Malá Strana district, but the unreliable technology at the time led to the trial service being declared a failure after 20 months. Regular services did not begin again until 20 June 1925, but have been in continuous operation ever since that date.
In the 1990s and 2000s, the metropolitan system was expanded and integrated with suburban transport as Prague Integrated Transport, although a few areas remain outside this system.
Buses fulfil many different roles in Prague's public transport system. Many lines serve as connections between the metro, tram, and rail systems and outlying residential areas. There are also plans to gradually introduce trunk services, similar to Latin America's bus rapid transit systems.
Main terminals of metropolitan buses are near metro stations: Černý Most, Zličín, Háje, Letňany, Nové Butovice, Želivského, Českomoravská, Kačerov, Budějovická, Depo Hostivař, Dejvická, Na Knížecí, Skalka, Palmovka, Nádraží Holešovice, Florenc etc. Some suburban and long-distance buses stop at these stations. The main stations of long-distance buses are, Černý Most and Zličín.
Since 2008, ROPID is implementing a plan to differentiate radial lines with small intervals and articulated buses. Some telematic systems are widely implemented.
From 2016 the buses in Prague have an average speed of 25,3 km/h.
As of 2022 the bus network was extended with trolley bus lines.

Route numbers

Bus lines belonging to the PID system are numbered within number series:
  • 100-250: daytime city routes
  • 251-275: school routes
  • 300-398: daytime suburban routes
  • 421-499 and 601-671: daytime regional routes
  • 901-915: nighttime city routes
  • 951-960: nighttime suburban routes
  • special bus routes for disabled persons: marked with a wheelchair symbol and the numbers 1, 2, 3, 798 and 797.
  • letter X with number of tram line or metro line letter are used for occasional substitute lines. Internally numbered in the 800 series. Some substitute lines are numbered in 700 series.
  • AE: Airport Express
  • 700 series: some temporary local lines with non-standard financing
Outside the PID system:
  • 700 series: special lines
  • shopping lines: marked in different ways, all free of charge
  • ZOO line with symbolic fare
  • other lines outside integrated systems, mostly intercity and long-distance public lines, with small importance to city transport
  • non-public lines

Operators

  • Dopravní podnik hl. m. Prahy a. s., most of metropolitan PID lines and several tens of suburban PID lines. DPP has 5 big bus depots in Prague: Klíčov, Vršovice, Kačerov, Hostivař, Řepy
  • Arriva Transport Česká republika, a. s.: ca 9 metropolitan PID lines and 50 suburban PID lines, some SID lines and non-integrated lines. The main bus depot is in Vršovice.
  • ČSAD Střední Čechy, a. s.: 31 suburban PID lines
  • ČSAD POLKOST, spol. s r. o.: metropolitan PID line No. 232 and 11 suburban PID lines
  • ČSAD MHD Kladno, a. s.: 9 suburban PID lines and several suburban SID lines
  • Martin Uher, spol. s r. o.: 6 suburban PID lines
  • STENBUS s. r. o.: metropolitan lines 269, 263, 206, 562, 564
  • ABOUT ME s. r. o.: minibus metropolitan lines 295, 296, 297, H2
  • Jaroslav Štěpánek: metropolitan PID lines 110 and 557, suburban PID line 302
  • PROBO BUS a. s. : 5 suburban PID lines
  • Okresní autobusová doprava Kolín, s. r. o.: 2 suburban lines to Prague
  • Hotliner s. r. o. and Cityliner s. r. o.: some shopping lines outside PID and some occasional tram-substitute lines
  • Libor Valenta: several shopping lines of Tesco Letňany
  • CEDAZ s. r. o.: shuttle microbuses to the airport, outside PID
  • ČSAD Benešov a. s.: shopping line OUTLET Štěrboholy, outside PID
  • many other operators of SID system and non-integrated suburban and long-distance lines