Sofia, Bulgaria: Georgi Valentinov Georgiev, chairman of the Metropolitan Municipal Council, stated that the Municipality of Sofia is launching six more buses on lines 63 and 66 going to Vitosha from next week. On April 3, 2023, Mayor Yordanka Fandakova launched new electric buses for bus lines 23 and 100, replacing twenty-year-old diesel buses.
Since 2019, forty-five new buses have already been running on Sofian roads, and now six more buses have been added, expanding the count to 51.
Minister Georgiev informed that in the last year, the number of passengers who come to the mountain by public transport had increased four times.
That’s why the Municipality voted funding and bought six more buses of the highest environmental category. They are all equipped with an audible notification system that we introduce to all public transport.
He said, “This is extremely important for visually impaired citizens. Our main idea with the launch of additional vehicles is Sofia’s great wealth – Vitosha Mountain to be even more accessible to residents and guests of the city”.
The Municipality’s chairman emphasises that all buses running on Line 66 will be equipped with bike racks to meet the needs of tourists who choose a mountain hike.
He thanked Deputy Mayor Dontcho Barbalov and colleagues Zafir Zarkov and Карлос Контрера for their proposal, which they passed at the city parliament, to increase access to the mountain by public transport.
Minister Georgiev also mentioned that he wants to express great gratitude to Mario Evstatiev for his efforts in introducing modern audio notification systems for the route and the upcoming stops – to facilitate citizens with sensory problems.