Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Grozdan Karadjov gave detailed explanations regarding the current conditions for travel by children and students in public transport.
This happened during parliamentary control in response to a question from MP Zlatan Zlatanov from the parliamentary group of "Vazrazhdane", BTA reported.
The minister recalled that with the changes in the regulatory framework, which are in force since February 1, 2024, the age limit for free travel in public transport has been increased. All children up to 14 years of age have the right to travel free of charge within populated areas. The only condition is the issuance of a free travel card that certifies age.
With regard to travel outside cities, the rules are differentiated according to age: Children under 7 years old: Travel completely free of charge, and a zero-value ticket is issued for them. Children from 7 to 14 years old: Enjoy a 50% discount on the price of a ticket for intercity road transport.
Grozdan Karadjov also emphasized the increased discounts for students, including young people between 14 and 16 years old. For this group, the discount when purchasing season tickets is fixed at 50% for both urban and intercity transport.
"The changes aim to stimulate habits for using public transport among children, and this also has a long-term environmental effect," Minister Karadjov said.
He added that in preparing these measures, good European practices in countries with developed public transport such as the Czech Republic and Austria were studied. In these countries, compensation for student cards also varies around 50 percent of the regular price.