Sofia's public transport is in the news again after a series of incidents, culminating in the derailment of a tram by a 22-year-old man, who according to the prosecutor's office was under the influence of cocaine and marijuana. The case sparked a debate in the studio of “Wake Up“ between municipal councilors, who entered into a dispute about the systemic problems in the sector, the lack of personnel, working conditions and future ticket prices with the adoption of the euro.
According to the municipal councilor from GERB-SDS Anton Hekimyan, these data are at odds with the statistics presented to the transport commission, which showed a decrease in incidents. He sharply criticized the city's administration, stating: “Vasil Terziev's Sofia is a city without responsibility“. Hekimyan pointed out that the capital has not had a deputy mayor for transport for months, and one for construction for a year and five months, accusing Mayor Terziev and Boris Bonev of engaging in PR campaigns instead of taking responsibility.
Vanya Grigorova from “Solidarna Bulgaria“ countered that the problems are systemic and date back years. She emphasized the poor working conditions for drivers. “The problem here is not the procedure, the problem here is that the person has to stop and this has been happening for years“, she said, referring to the lack of sanitary facilities and rest areas at the final stops.
Despite the recent increase in salaries, the shortage of drivers remains serious - over 200 people for bus transport alone. According to Anton Hekimyan, the increase has not yielded the desired result. Vanya Grigorova added that working conditions have not improved, and the money came after “some people made a PR“, giving 15 million leva to suppress the protests.
Boyko Dimitrov from “PP-DB“ stated that the cumbersome procedures for drivers should be reviewed in order to be feasible, and it is abnormal that a 40-ton machine can be set in motion with one push of a lever. He assured that new deputy mayors will be appointed soon.
Regarding the price of the ticket after the introduction of the euro, all three councilors united around the idea that it should not increase. The proposal of “Save Sofia“ to reduce the price to 80 euro cents was described by Anton Hekimyan as “absolutely populist“, as it would lead to losses of 2-3 million euros. Boyko Dimitrov only allowed the possibility that the price of the ticket, purchased in cash by the driver, could be rounded to 1 euro for convenience.