Fiackers were afraid of buses to Morskie Oko. It turns out that their interest in the offer has not dropped

During the holidays of electric buses on the Zakopane – Morskie Oko route, nearly 12,000 passengers – summed up the Tatra National Park (TPN). At the same time, the fiackers serving traditional horse -drawn sleds ensure that their interest in the offer has not dropped, and travels are still an attraction for tourists in themselves.

According to TPN data, during the holidays, electric buses performed 958 courses on the Zakopane – hair route, transporting a total of 11 thousand. 789 tourists. 1,000 benefited from the journey of “electricians” over the famous Tatra lake. 632 tourists with disabilities and their carers.

According to TPN, the new solution allowed to limit the traffic of cars on this tourist route – for comparison during the summer of 2024, 459 permits for the entry of cars of people with disabilities on the road to Morskie Oko were issued. This year, such consent was not needed because they used “electricians”. Buses, equipped with educational recordings about the Tatras and Culture of the Region, will run at least until the end of October. In winter, when the route is covered with snow and ice, vehicles may not cope with driving a steep terrain.

Fiacras emphasize that despite the appearance of an alternative in the form of e-buses, they did not record a decrease in interest in horse-drawn sediment.

– For the vast majority of tourists, the passion is not only a form of transport, but an attraction in itself – noted the president of the Association of Carriers to Morskie Oko Andrzej Mąka. As he pointed out, tourists value contact with horses, highlander culture and the opportunity to listen to the stories of Fiacrs in Podhale dialect.

According to carriers, the popularity of electric buses on the Zakopane route – Slikienica confirms that tourists treat them mainly as a convenient means of transport. In turn, bean journeys are of a cultural nature and are part of the region's heritage: – Contrary to recruitment reiterated by some organizations, there is no social opposition to horse transport on the road to Morskie Oko – said the president of the organization of carriers.

Four electric buses-19-person vehicles for a total amount of 3 million 198 thousand. PLN – bought the ministry of climate and the environment. Busy run from the TPN Nature Education Center in Zakopane to Purchains – a place where horse sleds also finish. Further on to the Morskie eye, a 1.7-kilometer walking trail leads.

As part of an agreement signed in February this year by the Ministry of Clame, TPN, local government authorities and the Association of Morskie Oko carriers, buses are to be an alternative to horse transport. According to the findings from next year, the Fasiąg route is to be shortened to the Palenica Białczańska – Wodogrzmoty Mickiewicza section, and the carts themselves are to be modernized and lighter. Initially, electrics were planned as a means of transport only for people with disabilities, but ultimately all tourists can use them.

TPN announces that the experience of this year's season will be used to prepare further activities, also in the context of the reorganization of horse transport on this route planned for next year. (PAP)

SZB/ MMU/