Starting in June, the peak of Ještěd Mountain, with its iconic hotel and transmitter building, will become more accessible for tourists. Regular bus services will be introduced to ferry visitors up the mountain, replacing the cable car service that has been out of operation since a tragic accident in October 2021.
The Liberec Region had plans to initiate regular bus services as a temporary replacement for the non-functional cable car two years ago. However, the plan was shelved due to the simultaneous reconstruction of the road over Ještěd. Now, the region has returned to its intention to establish bus services. Regional councilors have already approved the plan, and construction works have started at the Ještědka chalet below the mountain peak, where the buses will be turning.
“We would like to start operations from June. We will see how the situation develops and will gradually fine-tune this service for tourists and Liberec residents,” said Jan Sviták (SLK), Deputy Governor of Liberec, in charge of the transport department. According to Sviták, the buses should depart from the final tram station in Horní Hanychov and be operated by the regional carrier ČSAD Liberec.
Since October 31, 2021, the cable car to Ještěd has been out of operation after one of the cabins fell and a 36-year-old conductor died in the accident. Without cable cars, tourists have limited options for reaching the mountain’s peak. They can either hike or use the Nová Skalka chairlift. However, the chairlift’s departure point, while conveniently located near the final tram station, requires tourists to walk over a kilometer along the ridge of the Ještěd Ridge from the exit station to reach the peak of Ještěd.
The region is preparing a new system to regulate car traffic between the saddle of Výpřež and the peak of Ještěd, which regional representatives will discuss in April.