Bus fleet No. 7, which is a unique and largest motor transport enterprise not only in Kyiv but throughout Ukraine, appeared in 1973 and for a long time served flights that were made to any point in the Ukrainian SSR and the USSR. In addition to the administrative building 9 floors high, on the territory there is a huge covered parking lot for buses, which in its shape resembles a circus arena or a drum (the structure consists of a central support column and a wall that surrounds it along the perimeter, the diameter is 165 meters; between the walls and a column stretches two hundred heavy-duty metal cables on which concrete slabs are fixed – thus forming the roof of the parking lot). This parking area, which covers an area of 20,000 square meters, can accommodate three hundred buses.
The outer wall of the parking lot is not solid and at first glance is sheathed with a metal profile. In fact, these are tempered glass tubes through which daylight enters the building. The support column had a special hood through which exhaust gases were removed from the room – so the designers provided for almost everything. The bus depot building was heated in winter – it was at least 20 degrees inside. At the bus depot there was a workshop for the production of glass for Ikarus and other buses, and the depot itself is located next to the wash and repair shops – numerous entrances, together with a huge free internal space, allowed drivers to maneuver as quickly and conveniently as possible. There is even an underground passage between the administrative building and the parking lot, but it was not used for long – people were too lazy to go up and down the steps again.
It was prestigious to work at ATP No. 7. Novices were not sent on the route – the driver had to work for several years as a mechanic or service technician, and only then was he allowed to get behind the wheel of a city bus, and after he had proven himself well, he was given the right to intercity flights. The best drivers traveled on international flights. Almost 70 flights departed from the fleet every day. The company’s staff consisted of more than 2,000 people. As of February 14, 2015, bus depot No. 7 was moved. Now its territory is used for the storage of non-working buses and trolleybuses. The parking building has not been renovated and is in disrepair.
Where is bus depot No. 7?
Borispolskaya street, 15