site.btaSofia Mayor Terziev Rules Out Public Transport Fare Hike, Announces EUR 0.80 Ticket

In a Nova TV interview on Saturday, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said that the price of a single ticket for public transport in the capital will not be increased and will even be rounded down to EUR 0.80 after the euro is adopted. He also assured that subscription card prices will remain unchanged.

Commenting on the amendments to Sofia Municipality’s Ordinance on Traffic Organization, expanding paid parking zones and raising parking fees and subscription rates, Terziev said the reform has been overdue for many years. It is essential, he explained, to introduce order in certain neighbourhoods, ease pressure on existing paid-parking areas, and generate resources that can be reinvested in the urban environment. “To me, this is the right step. Is it a perfect solution? No. But it is a major step in the right direction, and for the first time we have a clear link between what we collect from citizens and what we give back,” he said.

According to the Mayor, the target is for drivers to be able to find a parking spot in under ten minutes, ideally within seven to eight minutes.

“Everywhere, experience shows that regulation comes first, and the active construction of parking facilities comes later,” Terziev stressed, adding that the idea of simply building more parking sounds good until the costs are calculated. “If we assume a shortage of 100,000 parking spaces, it would cost around EUR 2.5 billion to build parking facilities for those cars—and that does not even include complex underground garages in the city centre, whose timeline is uncertain,” he said. Terziev also pointed to another issue: where such parking facilities would be built, noting the conflict with the city’s ambition to remain green. Parking would have to go underground, raising costs further, or be built over existing green spaces, he said.

“I understand the desire for everyone to have a parking space and own as many cars as they want, but that cannot happen without paying another price, and that price is one of the city’s most valuable resources – its greenery,” Terziev said.

“The districts are highly motivated to use the revenue from parking zones for better streets, pavements, lighting, and inter-block spaces, so that residents can see how their surroundings improve thanks to their own contributions,” he added.

“There are challenges, I do not deny it. Wherever we see something not working well enough, we will seek improvements to the ordinance. But searching for perfect solutions condemns us to improving nothing in this city,” Terziev said. “There are people who criticize, but many others are eagerly awaiting this reform. For now, we’re moving forward,” he concluded.

Addressing comments from Sofia residents that public transport is insufficient and that vehicles often arrive at the same time followed by long gaps, Terziev stressed that the city has an excellent metro system and that expanding it remains a top priority. Ten new metro stations are currently under construction.

On the issue of waste collection difficulties in Sofia, the Mayor said the priority is to find a long-term solution. “We are not expecting a crisis,” Terziev said.

Asked to take stock of his work so far, he said he is most satisfied with progress in the education sector – new kindergartens, those under construction and in design, and improvements to school yards and infrastructure. “One of our major mistakes has been communication. When you are constantly in problem-solving mode, pragmatism takes over and the focus stays on the work rather than on communicating it,” he acknowledged.