The objects of roadside service in Kazakhstan will be brought into line with the national standard by four categories

At the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan "Atameken" was held a meeting on the development of roadside service with participation of representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Committee on Investments, the Committee for Roads, Department of tourism industry of MID RK, the Department of entrepreneurship development of MNE, STK "KAZLOGISTICS", JSC " NC "KazAvtoZhol", as well as business.

Opening the meeting, Managing Director, Director of the Department of Customs Administration of NCE RK "Atameken" Dina Mamasheva noted that at present the JSC "NC" KazAvtoZhol "in order to implement the 58 steps of "The Plan of the nation - 100 concrete steps" was empowered to develop roadside service along the roads of republican significance. As part of the execution of the protocol instructions of the Prime Minister of the RK, the Ministry for Investments and Development together with "KazAvtoZhol" developed a draft Action Plan with the necessary measures to support business entities.

"Within the framework of the state program of infrastructure development "Nurly Zhol" for 2015-2019 years, it is planned to bring into line with the national standard 260 objects of the road service both at the expense of the republican budget, and at the expense of private investments. In this regard, we would like to understand where and how local businesses can take part", - said Dina Mamasheva.

Managing Director of Business Development of JSC "NC" KazAvtoZhol" Rustam Isaev said that today the field of roadside service employs about 25 thousand people, there are about 2,500 locations along all roads in Kazakhstan, including petrol stations and catering points.

"Special attention will be paid to 260 objects of the total number. 30% of this number will be brought in line with national standards, 52% - in 2017, 76% - in 2018, 100% - in 2019. National Standard classifies service objects into four categories - A, B, C, D. Of these 260 objects dominate mainly objects of C and D categories, in general, 81% do not meet the national standard", - said Rustam Isayev.

Categories vary by the composition of the mandatory roadside service facilities. Thus, petrol stations and retail points with the presence of well-equipped bathrooms are referred to the D category. Today, many objects do not meet requirements of this category due to unequipped toilet. And this, according to Isaev, is a very urgent problem.

Category C includes such facilities, which are equipped with parking, catering point, toilets, showers and a retail shop.

Category B and A include the presence on their territory of the petrol station, motel, service station, car wash, parking, medical center, catering points, toilets and showers, only category A has yet to be shopping and entertainment area. Service of A category must be close to the big cities, settlements, hubs, where people stop not for a few hours, but more.

"It is recommended to locate the objects of D category at a distance of 40-50 kilometers from each other, category C - 30-60 km, B - 80-120 km and category A - 150-240 kilometers", - said Rustam Isaev.

When participants asked by what principle out of 2,500 facilities have been chosen 260, he said that they were determined according to the recommendations of the International Road Transport Union (IRU), in which JSC "NC" Kazavtozhol" entered in November 2015.

"If the objects are consistent with international standards, they will be included in the international database of road services. Thus, all international drivers will see these points", - said the managing director of "KazAvtoZhol".

However, according to him, out of 260 objects 31 will be built at the expense of the republican budget on the newly constructed roads in the directions: Center - South, Center - West and Astana - Pavlodar as part of the road construction project.

Responding to a question about the participation of the business, he said that these objects will be passed into private hands, the task of "KazAvtoZhola" together with government agencies and NCE to study the conditions for transfer to rent.

In general, for bring objects of roadside service to the national standard "Kazavtozhol" has developed its own program of development, which, for example, provides for the inclusion of the item "Services of road service" into a single program for support and business development "Roadmap of Business -2020" for preferential crediting of subjects of SMEs through "Damu" fund, the creation of the Association of road service, with the participation of the National Chamber of entrepreneurs, as well as a subsidiary - "KazAvtoZhol Service" to coordinate activities of road services.

"In the future there will be created a mobile application that allows drivers and passengers to see the nearest catering points, petrol stations and service stations along that road on which they are traveling", - concluded Rustam Isaev.

Summing up the meeting, Dina Mamasheva noted that NCE will consider the Action Plan, which was presented by "KazAvtoZhol" and will send proposals, taking into account the interest of business to improve further the program and for greater involvement of Kazakhstani entrepreneurs.

"The program covers not all the needs of roadside service. This is the first stage of the work. Priority – is to bring all what has already been built in compliance with the national standard. But we would like to see new objects that you need to build by the national standard, and was a healthy competition in this sphere", - summed up the Managing Director of NCE "Atameken ".