A green ticket for travel on public transport, as well as free parking in the metro buffer parking lots, are being introduced for Sunday and Monday (January 19 and 20) in Sofia. The Sofia Municipality's measures are in connection with the NIMH forecast for the expected potential for air pollution with PM10 on Sunday.
The measure is being introduced for the second time this year for forecast data and is in fulfillment of the Sofia Municipality's commitment to take preventive actions, not just reactive ones, as has been the practice so far.
The decision was made after consulting with experts from the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, according to whom the expected potential for air pollution with PM10 on Sunday is due to the forecast for fog formation in the morning hours in the valleys, which accumulate atmospheric pollutants in the low ground layers.
The Sofia Municipality calls on citizens to leave their cars on Sunday and Monday and use public transport, as well as to follow the recommendations of health specialists.
The green ticket costs 1 leva, is valid for the whole day and can be purchased in the following ways:
With validation of a bank card in the vehicle.
From drivers in the vehicles.
Online via the CGM web portal.
From the CGM and Metropolitan ticket offices – on paper or as an electronic ticket loaded onto your card.
The green ticket will not be valid for night city transport, and answers to other frequently asked questions will be published on the CGM website.
The Sofia Municipality is also taking the following additional measures as part of the overall approach to dealing with air pollution.
Intensified inspections for pollution from construction companies and unregulated burning:
Since January 1, over 300 inspections have been carried out at various sites, sources of air pollution throughout Sofia. The Sofia Inspectorate provides final data on the inspections and the acts drawn up for the day after 16:00 on the relevant day.
Control of low-emission zones for cars and domestic heating:
Current control continues for violations of the introduced bans on entry of cars from ecogroups 1 and 2 into the area of the “small ring” in the center of the capital, as well as for the use of wood and coal stoves in 9 metropolitan districts, in buildings and places with a heat transfer or gas distribution network - "Sredets", "Krasno Selo", "Izgrev", "Ilinden", "Studentski", "Oborishte", "Vazrazhdane", "Lozenets", "Triaditsa".
To date, over 1,200 notifications have been sent for violation of the ban on entering cars in the small ring zone. None of the notified citizens has violated the ban since then. Since the introduction of the low-emission zone on December 1 until now, the number of violators has halved and is currently around 2,000 per day. This is also a 10-fold decrease in the number of the most polluting cars from ecogroups 1 and 2 entering the center of Sofia, since before the introduction of the measure.
Prescriptions for sensitive groups
A message has been sent to all schools and kindergartens with a recommendation to limit children's time outdoors on Monday, January 20, when weather conditions are expected to remain unchanged.
Additional street washing is a measure that is also applied when PM levels are exceeded, but only in appropriate weather conditions, in order to avoid dangerous icing.