The new bus line 145, nicknamed the “tunnel bus”, is exactly the kind of link that Prague has long been missing.
It connects Prague 8 and Prague 6 through the Blanka tunnel complex and offers a faster, more comfortable and more direct route between the two districts. For many people it can mean easier commuting to work, to school and to services.
This is exactly the kind of solution we have supported for a long time. As early as February 2024 our councillor Vladislava Vojtíšková put forward a proposal for a direct bus link between Prague 8 and Prague 6 as a resolution of the Prague 8 council. This resolution was approved by the Prague 8 council in May 2024. At the time it was a clear and practical proposal intended to improve people's everyday travel across the district.
Today that proposal is becoming reality. That is great news.
A link between Prague 8 and Prague 6 without changes
The new tunnel bus 145 runs from Čimice via Bohnice and Kobylisy, then passes through Holešovičky and the Blanka tunnel and stops at Hradčanská and Dejvická.
From Čimice you can reach Dejvická in 28 minutes without changing. Previously such a journey took 40 minutes with two changes onto the metro.
A direct link is also a great help, for example, to people with disabilities or parents with a pushchair. Changing at Muzeum with a pushchair is a task for the brave: first you have to take the lift up from the platform of metro line C, then get across a broken asphalt pavement, cross the busy motorway and take a second lift down to the platform of metro line A. The tunnel bus therefore saves parents at least 15 minutes on the change and, above all, allows them to travel safely with children.
A direct bus link thus allows people to leave the car at home and travel safely and quickly all the way to Dejvická.
Years of work by local people, students and an association
It was not only politicians who fought for a direct link between Prague 8 and Prague 6 through Blanka. Local residents, students and the association Holešovičky pro lidi played a big role. And so did Prague 6's transport councillor Ondřej Matěj Hrubeš (ODS).
Such a link makes particular sense for students at the nearby 17. listopadu halls of residence and for people around the Kuchyňka stop. They were the ones who pointed out for years that good public transport was missing here and that a direct line through Blanka would be a real help.
Line 145 is therefore the result of long-term pressure, not of a sudden enlightenment at the town hall.
Thanks are due to everyone who supported the project and helped move it forward: ROPID, local people, students, the association Holešovičky pro lidi, our councillors from 8žije and Praha sobě, Prague's deputy mayor for transport Jaromír Beránek (Piráti) and the former Prague 8 transport councillor Tomáš Slabihoudek (TOP 09).
The bus stops at Kuchyňka, but does not open its doors
But the new line has a problem that is hard to explain to people on the spot. The tunnel bus passes through Holešovičky, but does not stop at Kuchyňka.
That is very bad news for local people and for students. The Kuchyňka stop is not a marginal detail. It is the place that would give the new line real local meaning and would allow residents of this part of Prague 8 and students of two faculties of Charles University to use a link that has been sought for years.
The result is paradoxical: the line passes through Holešovičky and, when merging back into the lane, even stops right at the stop, but does not open its doors. Some of the people it was meant to help most still have the stop needlessly far away.
Students thrown under the bus by councillor Zdeněk Kovářík
Local people and hundreds of students have essentially been thrown under the bus. And in this case almost literally.
According to our information, the Kuchyňka stop was torpedoed by Prague's finance councillor Zdeněk Kovářík (ODS). He had TSK draw up a study because the bus, when returning to the traffic lane, could slow cars down by 8 seconds. And neither the current Prague deputy mayor for transport nor today's Prague 8 transport councillor was able to stand up to this absurd reason.
If that is the real reason, then it needs to be said openly: the convenience of through car traffic has once again been given priority over the needs of local residents and public transport.
In Holešovičky, where transport has long been one of the biggest problems in Prague 8, this is especially absurd.
Pace mainly for cars
The ODS candidate for mayor of Prague, Tomáš Portlík, says he wants to “give Prague pace”. But in Holešovičky the ODS is mainly giving pace to cars from outside Prague.
The bus runs. But it does not stop.
That is not smart transport policy. Public transport should not be just a technically well-drawn line in a timetable. It should serve people. It should stop where people actually get on and off. It should improve access to places that are poorly served today.
If the new line misses Kuchyňka, it is a wasted opportunity.
The tram to Bohnice must not be taken off the table
At the same time, the tunnel bus should not be a replacement for the tram line to Bohnice.
Setting up a bus line through Blanka makes sense as a quick and practical measure that can help right away. But in the long term Prague needs a good rail link Podbaba–Bohnice–Kobylisy.
That is why we will continue to insist that the city must press on intensively with preparing the tram line, set aside the necessary investment and say clearly when the line is to be completed.
The tunnel bus is a good step. But it must not become an excuse for postponing systemic solutions.
What we want next
We welcome and celebrate the creation of line 145 as a great success for 8žije, and we thank all the politicians across the political parties who helped bring it about.
At the same time we want the mistake that needlessly harms Holešovičky, Rokoska and the students from the 17. listopadu halls of residence to be put right.
We will therefore continue to push for:
- line 145 to stop at Kuchyňka as well, and ideally at Rokoska too
- public transport in Holešovičky to serve local people, not just drive past them
- TSK and the city to explain clearly why the stop was left out
- the needs of students and local residents to be taken as seriously as the smooth flow of car traffic
- the city to continue preparing the Podbaba–Bohnice–Kobylisy tram line