"Unfortunately, we see when dependency causes very unpleasant consequences," said the head of the State Audit Office. What happened?
The fact is that "Rīgas satiksme" keeps buying brake pads for the low-floor "Škoda" trams from the "Škoda" company.
What does this mean? Let's say you have a helicopter. The documentation states that its service life is 30 years – not a guarantee, but the actual service life. Will you be buying parts from other manufacturers for your helicopter over these 30 years? No, of course not. In that case, the factory's promise that it will last for 30 years evaporates like smoke.
So, who should the company with promises of a 30-year service life buy brake pads from? Naturally, from the manufacturer – "Škoda", and not from a flea market, even though it’s significantly cheaper there.
Unfortunately, the inspectors could not grasp this nuance and started saying that there are other manufacturers with lower prices.
Yes, there probably are. But if you install their cheap part on a tram worth 3 million euros, and it derails with a deformation of the load-bearing structure, what will the manufacturer say? Guys, that's your problem.
And the seller from the flea market won't come to repair the tram or straighten the beams. Once the service life of these trams ends after 2040, then you can install whatever you want – only "Rīgas satiksme" will bear the responsibility.
New trams can be purchased not only from "Škoda" but from anyone, even from the manufacturer indicated by the State Audit Office. But it must be understood that for 30 years, all spare parts will only come from this manufacturer. No one will risk installing an important part (and the brake is an important part, not a turn signal bulb) that someone has cobbled together in an alley.
