The first buses took passengers from Florence 60 years ago

Prague - Bus transport began to develop in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s, but real expansion came only after World War II. Unlike the railway system, which had stations in practically every city, bus connections at that time did not offer similar comfort. The situation began to change in the 1940s, when the Czechoslovak State Railways (ČSD) significantly became involved in road transport. Thanks to them, a bus station was built on the site of a coal depot at Masarykova nádraží in Prague's Florenc, which served its first passengers 60 years ago, on June 17, 1948.
    The new station, which was ceremonially opened by the then-director of the state railways, initially had very modest facilities. Passengers boarded buses on one of the 26 routes directly from the sidewalk, as the contemporary press reported, "individual departures of vehicles were announced by the local radio." A year after the opening, the station, located right in the center of Prague near important train hubs and trams, finally got its own building. Initially, the station in Florenc was just one of many, but due to heavy traffic, it became the Central Bus Station in 1953, even though its connection, especially to the western outskirts of Prague, was not very good.
    Florenc still plays the role of an important bus hub in the capital city today, although over time, many new stations have arisen on the edges of the city near metro stations. However, these primarily serve domestic transport, while long-distance and international lines still mainly stop at Florenc. Moreover, over the years, the station has become a major burden due to its original advantage - its location in the center. The situation significantly worsened after 1990, when traffic increased, complicating the arrivals and departures of about 300 routes that come to Florenc daily.
    The station is also still awaiting improvements to its somewhat neglected exterior. Over the years, it has undergone only one major reconstruction, at the turn of the 60s and 70s in connection with the construction of the metro and the boulevard. Later repairs were more cosmetic. Since the mid-90s, there have been several plans for extensive modernization, which included connecting it to the metro, building a new underground check-in hall, or relocating the entrance (currently, buses enter and exit onto a narrow side street), but none of these plans were ever realized. Significant investments were complicated by unclear ownership relations surrounding the buildings and the representatives' visions for the future of Florenc.