Sofia Residents to Protest over Planned Hike in Public Transport Ticket Prices

A demonstration will take place in Bulgaria's capital Sofia on Friday over local plans of local authorities to adopt a 60% price increase for the public transport tickets.

Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova has already confirmed her support for a proposal by the Sofia Urban Mobility Center, the company operating public transport and parking spaces in the city, that a single ticket should cost BGN 1.60 (EUR 0.80) as of June 01 this year, up from BGN 1.00.

The price for single tickets has not been hiked since the mid-2000s.

Local authorities maintain the move will push more people to use transport cards, which allow them to purchase several tickets at a reduced cost or unrestricted use of public transport for a month or three months.

Travel cards will be exempt from the planned price hike.

However, protest organizers have said anyone who is discontent with the plans is invited to demonstrate in front of the Sofia Municipality building at 18:30 on Friday.

Deputy Mayor Lyubomir Hristov has meanwhile proposed that fines for passengers with no valid tickets or cards should go up, reaching BGN 40 (EUR 20), up from BGN 20. The administrative notice delivered to a passenger refusing to pay their fine is also to bear a heftier price, under his proposal (BGN 200, up from BGN 100).

On Facebook, where the protest is being organized, more than 200 have declared their intention to attend as of 08:00 local time on April 01.