While the BSP has representatives in the Sofia Municipality, not a single transport company will be privatized or concessioned. This was stated by Ivan Takov, chairman of the Standing Committee on Transport and Road Safety and the Socialists' group in the Sofia Municipal Assembly, to workers from the municipal company "Stolichne Autotransport". The meeting was organized by the FTR section "Podkrepa" in the company and was held in the hall of the garage "Malashevtsi", the press center of the BSP-Sofia reports. It was attended by the municipal councilor from the group of the MK "BSP for Bulgaria" Ivan Kirilov, the executive director of "Stolichne Autotrans" EAD Stilyan Manolov, his deputy Kiril Paskov and the director of the "Malashevtsi" bus garage Kiril Georgiev. There were three main topics on which the workers in the metropolitan autotrans asked many questions at the meeting that lasted more than two hours. The first and main one was related to rumors about a concession of the municipal transport company, which had reached the workers. Improving working conditions and increasing wages were the other topics that excited the employees.
"The workers' concern in connection with the ideas for a concession and privatization of the "Stolichne Autotrans" company by some colleagues from the right spectrum in the Metropolitan Municipal Council is understandable and completely understandable to me, commented Ivan Takov. - However, they are frivolous and at this very moment they are extremely unreasonable proposals, as they sow additional unnecessary confusion among the employees. Let it be clear that as long as the BSP has representatives in the Sofia Municipality, there will be no concession or privatization of a transport company. Workers must be calm in their workplaces, and our commitment is to provide them with normal working conditions and salaries that correspond to the economic situation in the country".
Ivan Takov was categorical that investments in both people and material resources in transport companies will not only continue, but will also increase every year. "This has been our clear commitment since the beginning of the mandate and will continue until the end, he said. - In the last year, we have had results. The employees in the transport companies are already seeing it. And we will continue to work even more actively in this direction".
Ivan Kirilov added that the municipal councilors from the group of the Local Coalition "BSP for Bulgaria" will insist that more funds be allocated in the Sofia Municipality's 2026 Budget to improve working conditions. "The truth is that salaries and working conditions must go hand in hand", he said.
The Chairman of the Transport and Road Safety Committee in the Sofia Municipal Council explained that recruiting enough drivers in transport companies is a long-term process. "Everything takes time - both to fill the vacant positions of drivers, and to improve working conditions, and to increase salaries, commented Ivan Takov. - In the implementation of these commitments of ours, the state is a very important partner. Because it is obvious that urban transport is not a priority for those in power in the Sofia Municipality. I judge this by what has been done so far since the beginning of the mandate. There are major problems in both our communication and our joint work, which shows that transport in Sofia is not of great importance to them. However, for us, there is no alternative to public transport in Sofia Municipality, managed by municipal companies. Private operators are not an alternative. And in order to have normal public transport in Sofia, which offers good conditions for both those working in it and the citizens using it, there must be a policy aimed at people. Currently, procedures are underway for new buses, for repair contractors in the garages, as well as for the purchase of parts. Soon, both those working in transport and citizens of Sofia who use it will see results.