- How long has your firm existed?
- The company was founded in 2000. However, we are not newcomers to the bus transportation market.
- What fleet do you own?
- By Ukrainian standards, for a firm like ours, it is solid. I mean both the quantity and quality of the vehicles, which even have child car seats for our little clients. These are seven Neoplan-116 buses manufactured in 1995-1997. Special boxes are equipped for them, and maintenance is carried out regularly. In general, both passengers and we are satisfied.
- Who develops the routes?
- Naturally, we do. Moreover, we are perhaps the only ones among our colleagues who have created an exact schedule for moving along the route, and we follow it precisely, like on airlines.
- Where do you transport passengers?
- We specialize only in Germany and have two "iron" routes: Kyiv - Duisburg - Kyiv and Kyiv - Trier - Kyiv. This is not tourism, but, I repeat, regular routes. Even if there is only one passenger on the bus, we will not cancel the trip. This is our rule.
- And how often do your buses run?
- Today we have four departures a week, and from April 1 we plan to make it five. That is, almost daily, except Thursday and Saturday. We simply always have enough people willing, and we also "acquire regulars." After all, everything with us is quite precise, fast, and convenient. 36 hours on the road in warm and cozy European-style buses with a toilet, mobile phone, mini-bar, audio and video system, and air conditioning. In addition, coffee and tea are always available on the bus. When passing through Poland, we always stop for breakfast. In summer, additionally - broth, lemonade, mineral water. All this is included in the ticket price.
- Who mainly travels?
- Relatives visiting, students, musicians, pensioners, some people specifically for cars. But mostly to visit. Many people leave for permanent residence. Our bus happens to travel along a route where there are special temporary camps for these people. They stay there from three to six months.
- How are Ukrainian carriers received in Poland and Germany?
- It is always easy to work when everything is official. We have licenses from the Ministry of Transport of Ukraine, Poland, and Germany. Central entry points are always open to us. For example, entry to Hamburg is restricted. But many vehicles go there unofficially, at their own risk. We have a special permit from local authorities that approve the route for Columbus Plus.
- Do you handle visa processing for clients?
- We do not deal with visas at all. We are only carriers. If a person comes to us to buy a ticket, we always check for a visa in their passport.
- What about insurance for clients?
- Our insurance is handled by the company "Grand-Auto", with which we have signed a contract. We insure everything: the bus, the drivers, and, of course, the passengers. Sometimes our clients do not even know that they are under insurance protection. The cost of insurance is simply already included in the ticket price. And if people forget to worry about themselves in this regard, we do it for them. But thank God, there has not been a single accident with passengers yet.
- Is there any service provided besides the comfortable conditions in the bus cabin?
- On the trip that starts on Monday, we also include a stewardess. In the near future, we plan to provide stewardesses for all routes. But this is very hard work - not all girls can handle it. Plus, our requirement is mandatory knowledge of the German language. In general, we are very meticulous about staff selection. Our managers went through a large competitive selection process and received appropriate training.
- Do you have many competitors?
- If we take Kyiv as a whole, about ten. If we talk about serious ones, then two or three firms.
- And how do you manage to stay among the leaders?
- We constantly analyze our work, improve something, abandon something - we take into account client wishes. But still, we consider stability to be the main principle. At Columbus Plus, ticket prices have not changed for two years now. We always have a stable schedule, an unchanged attitude towards clients, and they really like it. Many of our competitors' transport prices fluctuate, conditions change on the go, etc. It happens that a person buys a ticket but for some reason could not leave, then we unconditionally return that amount to him. We are loyal to our clients - parents even trust us to transport their children.
- Have there been racketeer attacks on buses in your practice?
- Oh, that is in the past, there is none of that now. Earlier, three to five years ago, there were cases of robberies. Then travel companies used the services of local law enforcement, who accompanied the bus.
- Do you give passengers any instructions before departure?
- That is the first thing. We provide explanatory information about almost everything: from the number of cigarettes and money that can be carried across the border, to the mobile phone number that is always in the bus in case someone falls behind. Our buses are even recognizable on the roads. They are all white and have an inscription on the side, in front of which a special company sign is drawn - a compass rose.
- But not all passengers are satisfied with your trips, because everyone has a different character, and surely there were complaints?
- We are always morally ready for this. This is life. Our compatriots like to be late, and then they are indignant when the bus leaves without them. Fortunately, there are very few such people, but still... Before departure, we do a roll call of passengers. If someone is suddenly missing, we wait for fifteen minutes. If people are late, they call the bus and warn that they will arrive shortly.
- Residents of which cities use your services?
- Practically all of Ukraine - they come from Kharkiv, Luhansk, Dnipropetrovsk, and other cities of the country. People simply already know about us well. Moreover, everyone comes to Kyiv to get an exit visa, and our advertising agents work actively near the German embassy. People book tickets both by phone and via the Internet through our website (www.kolumb-plus.com). As in all well-known companies, we have our regular customers, among them even entire families. And one passenger has already used our services 28 times and, apparently, is not going to change carriers.
- What is the cost of your tickets?
- From 300 to 385 hryvnias - it all depends on the destination. There are also discounts for certain categories of passengers: children under 12 - 50%, children under 16, disabled people of groups 1 and 2, people over 65, students, and groups of more than ten people - 10%. For every fifth trip, we give a 20% discount.
- And how regularly do you service the vehicles on which you transport people?
- In Germany, a bus that arrives stays parked for more than a day. During this time, it undergoes mandatory maintenance and is prepared for the next trip. It is washed and refueled. If necessary, all spare parts for buses are purchased only in Germany. Repairs are also carried out there. There is also such a concept as interchangeability of vehicles from our reserve. That is, we have had practically no serious disruptions to the transport schedule due to technical reasons. Everything always goes according to plan.