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Sofia Municipality stops dialogue with the government over public transport budget

Trams in the streets of Sofia
Photo: Ani Petrova, BNR

The end of the dialogue between Sofia Municipality and the government was announced by the chairman of the Sofia municipal council Georgi Georgiev in an interview for the Bulgarian National Television. The reason is the cabinet's refusal to support public transport in the capital. 

Sofia's public transport is at a loss of over 70 million euros due to the rise in fuel prices by up to 330%. The municipality demands from the state to cover the deficit in the update of the national budget. But the prime minister's and finance ministers' offices have told local authorities to raise the price of the service, cut staff and introduce changes in the timetable with less frequent routes.

With inflation and increased costs for the people, Georgiev said they would not raise the price and recalled that 2 years during the Covid pandemic, the municipality itself covered the losses of the sector.



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