GRAS
PUBLIC COMPANY FOR CITY
TRANSPORT
A long time ago, in 1885., the first horse-pulled tram in Europe had provoked amazement and doubtness of people of Sarajevo.
Nowadays, every year on The Day of GRAS the honor lap of the old Wiener reminds the Sarajevans of the day when it all started, and everyone is proud of successes this important company does one by one.
Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Jusufranic, general manager of GRAS, explains: "The public company GRAS has had, in it's long existence, it's ups and downs. We have faced the culmination of our development during and after the Olympic Games were held in Sarajevo in 1984. Further progress followed, just until the 2nd of May 1992., when the aggression on our country started, causing the city's public transport to stop for the first time in our existence. Until then it was covering 700 kilometers long lines, transporting nearly 850.000 passengers daily. All this been done with 520 vehicles, on six ways of transport. And while stabile business was unobtainable for many companies of this kind in Europe, GRAS was doing business well before the war started, and was financing itself, a fact many envied us on."
 Now, having already 112 years of existence behind, they raise from the ashes again. The man that is ahead of this exceptional company with over 2000 employees succeeded together with them to create a miracle.
 "During its existence GRAS represents the vein of a constantly evolving city. To be at service to its town, GRAS follows that development, connecting the new-built neighborhoods, while at the same time trying to offer its users a faster, more economical and more comfortable transport.
 So, with the wish to go faster and further on, horse-pulled trams were replaced with electrical ones. Buses are an aid to the tram, a trolley-buses we use to satisfy both economical and ecological conditions(terms) : using cheap domestic energy, reducing noise and air pollution. And the minibuses found their own place, too. They are meant for hill-side parts of the town, so that their inhabitants can also have fast public transport to the city.
 We have built a cable railway so that the tourist beauties of Trebevic mountain and a most attractive view of Sarajevo is at everyone's reach. With an angled elevator in Ciglane we've provided an easement to the people living in this modern settlement."
THE BROKEN THREAD
 "Our development was interrupted by the start of the aggression on our country and the first tram being shelled. That did interrupt, but did not stop the public transport. The employees of GRAS reacted immediately, using buses as the only possible mean of public transport at that time. About 1.200 GRAS employees stood up to defend their country, 109 built their lives into what we have now, and nearly 300 were wounded. GRAS has not forgotten them, and proceeds helping them within the limits of its possibilities. During the war, a small team of 150 men worked on retaining the public transport, having future in mind.
 Thanks to them, at the end of the war GRAS had 67 projects prepared to finish. Estimated damages in GRAS were quite close to 100 million DM, but, thanks to friends throughout the world and donators, the consequences of the destruction of war are being repaired daily. We also cannot forget the great help and support given to us by the Government of Canton Sarajevo.
 One date from the war history of GRAS we consider a great turn-point to what happened after. In the surrounded, but never enslaved city, a city under shellfire and snipers raging, on the 15th of March 1994. the violently interrupted city's traffic was reestablished. It was a huge and magnificent victory of the city and GRAS. The first tram was then celebrated as attraction, probably not even a scratch smaller than the one in 1885. when the first ever tram was driven by Johann Hanke. That tram was a symbol of a new era in Sarajevo and Bosnia, and surely a new era in Europe. Our tram in 1994. was a symbol of resistance, defiance and the invincible and indestructible spirit of Sarajevo and Sarajevans. "
WAR WOUNDS
 "After the reintegration of those parts of town which have previously been under aggressors occupation (including Ilidza), on October 15th 1996. the tramway line Bascarsija- Ilidza, which is the longest one, has been re-established thanks to the aid given by the European Community.
 GRAS couldn't cure all it's war wounds alone, even making extreme efforts by it's employees. The world lend a helping hand, and GRAS- Sarajevo forwarded the aid correctly. All that we have been receiving, we forwarded to repairement and to planned development of public transport. There were some donations, but we didn't want to rely on them only. Using its own finances, GRAS has bought 25 mini-bus vehicles, and  nine trolley-buses with automatic controlled power-drive. In such way, the quicker intervening at eventual traffic and transport stops has been achieved. It is our estimation that we have repaired about 50 % of war-harms our enterprise has had.
 At the occasion of our Enterprise Day (26th November,1996.), we have opened the solemnly renewed trolley-bus line Dobrinja-Drvenija with turn-round stations. We have repaired and put upside fixed posts for electric-power conduction's network for that line, installed more than three kilometers of electric cables, finished building of a new line turn-round area and put in function a mobile DC electric power sub-station, all that done in less than a month. Radio communication network covers the entire trolley-bus line area, so immediate action can now be taken in case of vehicle harms or stopping. We have finished repairing, rebuilt and put in function our location for trolley-bus's repairing and testing premises, as well as parking (depot), which have suffered heavy damages during war-time.
We didn't forget handicapped people. We have promoted the GRAS's Driving-school for invalid men, where we shall have training for amputated-invalids to become qualified bus, mini-bus, or why not even trolley-bus drivers.
We have the possibilities to arrange technical works on adapting constructions of vehicles for invalidated persons use, enabling them better society inclusion. Such works are now possible to be done, at the same trolley-depot premises. After training satisfactorily finished, we will give the opportunity to such qualified drivers to drive the specially adapted vehicles of public transport, so don't be surprised when you soon catch sight of a label stating: 'This vehicle being driven by invalid-men qualified driver' at one of our vehicles.
We have opened a modern GRAS- own vehicles technical service, inspection and test station, where all operations are computer-controlled, eliminating the subjective human-mistake factor. The Service equipment and technical staff are intended to give services to the third parties, too. In order to improve and give the best services quality to our users, all our computerized information will be soon connected to authorized organizations and authorities in charge and/or dealing with vehicles technical inspection and car registration.
The tram's rail-line has been remount-repaired from Cengic Vila to Ilidza, the tram turn-round station at Ilidza is repaired, and our new communications central station is now functional. We have made modernized the trolley-bus line from Mojmilo to Drvenija, too. These improvements have already proved to be good reasoned, because now there are almost no maintenance expenses at the power-supplying network. Together with 'Siemens' -company we've put in order a previously damaged DC power supply sub-station.
AT CITIZENS' SERVICE
 
All the above contributes to the comfort, speed and in-time transporting in town public transport. But GRAS couldn't have achieved all this on it's own. Our passengers are an unbreakable part of our development, so if they would have 'like a master of the house' behavior towards our (as well as their) vehicles, they would allow us and themselves, a faster way towards modernized future. With a little bit more care taking on their behalf, we would save the huge investments, that we have to spend nowadays for harms or damages repairment caused by irresponsible individuals. In return, our GRAS will offer to them the modern, computerized and with the highest standard town-public-transportation in the nearest future.
FUTURE PLANS
For the period up to year 2002, we made plans to realize a few key-projects. Let be noted that our employees already work at tram-way transport modernization, where a large part of electro-mechanical devices will be replaced by electronics, applying a chopper system. This year we're going to begin with building a new tram-line to Dobrinja, which was financially supported by Canton Sarajevo. After that comes the connecting of Hrasnica by tram-transport, while we also plan to build a new turn-round station in Radiceva St., in the center of the town. Our trolley-buses will have new lines to the Sarajevo Airport, Podhrastovi and Breka, while the old lines to Vogosca and Jagomir will also be re-established.
We also plan to bring to use magnetic tickets soon, instead of once-use paper tickets and monthly tickets with a coupon, since the efficiency of that system has proven good in already 150 cities throughout the world.
All that we have planned may sound too futuristic or megalomaniac-like, having in mind the after-war situation in general. But, if we remind ourselves once more of the first tram with horses pulling it, do you really think that everyone was applauding and admiring it? Of course not. We are going forward with big steps, and everything we promise - we accomplish to do."
 
 In the first month of the new 1998, people of GRAS surprised again the users of their services, opening a contest for the most beautiful commercial message's design shown on their trams. The jury of GRAS chose 'Fuji film', while the Sarajevans too, haven't been excluded from their choice. The one they have chosen was a commercial for an Ecological telephone ('EKO Telefon') "For clean and beautiful, my Sarajevo'. GRAS awarded the makers of the best commercials with six months free advertising on their trams.
Besides all that is said so far, GRAS has shown yet another positive example of fast adapting and progress - some of their trolley busses are among the first vehicles in the streets of Sarajevo carrying new, recently established, license plates. People in GRAS really are moving forward.