The origins of the PUBLIC TRANSPORT COMPANY SKOPJE date back to 1947. Three years after the liberation of Skopje, at a time when the local authorities began organizing life in the capital, a decision was made on July 11, 1947, by the Executive People’s Committee of the City to establish a city transport enterprise. The enterprise was registered in the court register on January 17, 1948, under the name City Bus Transport Enterprise. JSP SKOPJE celebrates its birthday on the day it was registered in the court register.

 

The transport of passengers is the obligation of the PUBLIC TRANSPORT COMPANY as a public carrier. The company’s archives state that it began by transporting passengers on a single route with five old vehicles seized during World War II. The first and then only route, number 2, was 6 kilometers long, starting from Kumановска Tрошарина, through Брегалничка Street, Кеј 13ти Ноември, Димитар Влахов, Илинденска, and ending at the City Park. Soon after, route number 3 was launched, connecting the Автокоманда neighborhood to the Водно neighborhood, and by 1956, 9 new routes were opened, totaling 86 kilometers in length.

 

The first buses were of the brands “RENAULT,” “ŠKODA,” “KLOKKNER,” “ŠTAER,” and later also “KRUPP” and “FIAT.” The first major bus purchase was made in 1949, when the first 10 French buses of the “RENAULT” brand were acquired and used until 1957.

 

Meanwhile, in 1953, the first double-decker buses of the English brand AEC were acquired, which were a real attraction for the City of Skopje. By 1962, the then GSP had 59 vehicles and a number of transported passengers of nearly 30 million and over 3 million kilometers traveled.

 

With the rebuilding of the City of Skopje and the construction of new neighborhoods, new routes were launched, and the company’s fleet was expanded. Continuously, new buses were procured year after year, so by 1980 JSP SKOPJE had a total of 300 buses.

 

Until 1989, JSP SKOPJE operated as the sole carrier in public urban transport.

 

The enterprise covers the City of Skopje and the surrounding area with city and suburban lines—both day and night. The current figures are impressive. Annually, JSP SKOPJE buses cover 15.5 million kilometers, transporting more than 50 million passengers. Citizens are served from 496 city and 505 suburban bus stops, which are distributed across 36 city and 42 suburban routes as needed. It operates two bus depots located at opposite ends of the city, each serving an equal number of vehicles, which practically represent the heart of the public urban transport system.