Bulgaria: Ticket fare to rise from next week

Sofia, Bulgaria: The ticket price of buses for both urban as well as long-distance will be witnessing an increase from next week onwards. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which eventually led to the decreased number of passengers and hiked fuel prices, is considered as the reason behind the increase in ticket fares. 

Chairwoman of the Confederation of Bus Carriers – Magdalena Miltenova, talked to the Minister of Transport Nikolay Sabev on the matter, requesting them to ease the budget. Miltenova further added that this rise in the transport fare would be about 50 percent in places where it is possible, and this will not solve the issue, which will result in the businesses experiencing difficulties amid high fuel prices, particularly methane. 

Miltenova then stated, “We all are well aware that the budget for the intercity bus lines was not there in the Budget Law, so we do not have any other alternative at the present moment, except starting a gradual rise in the prices. Not everywhere the price of tickets would be raised, so I say that this will most likely happen in stages. We would continue the talks in this direction with the – Ministry of Transport, respectively the finances, in order to assist the – bus transport, intercity bus lines, as the problem is even austere. You all know that there is no funding there anyway“. 

Following the above statement, she underscored, “I will be citing an instance with Blagoevgrad. Blagoevgrad has been operating at a – price of BGN 0.80 for the past several years. At the present time, there is a rise in the price. The price would be BGN 1.20, but you yourself understand that this is also extremely insufficient, given the costs we generate”.  

The COVID-19 pandemic had an important affect on the economy and on several significant sectors of the country, such as health, tourism, education, agriculture etc.