site.btaSofia Scrambles to Protect Matriculation Exams as Surface Transport Strike Drags On

Sofia’s buses, trams and trolleybuses stayed in their depots for a fourth straight day on Saturday, after drivers blocked the garages and vowed to continue until they receive a BGN 400 pay rise and better working conditions.

The strikers apologized to residents but said they would “not compromise further”, calling the overtime that lifts some pay packets to about BGN 3,000 “blood money”.

Mayor Vassil Terziev condemned the blockade. “We are currently in a situation that is worse than a strike because this is not a protest but civil disobedience and the entire public surface transport is blocked,” he said on Friday, adding that talks could resume only after services restart. On Saturday he again took to Facebook, promising to safeguard next week’s matriculation exams: “Sofia has always shown the greatest mobilization when facing challenges," Terziev said and added: "This is especially true for those who care for our children.”

The Ministry of Education and Science set up an emergency task-force led by Minister Krasimir Valchev and has already assembled 54 school buses with 1,388 seats from neighbouring regions, a fleet expected to exceed 1,500 seats by exam day. It urged the municipality to waive parking fees in the central “blue” and “green” zones so pupils, parents and staff can drive to centres if necessary. Preliminary school surveys show roughly 350 pupils and 3,000 invigilators need alternative transport.

Terziev said fewer than 1% of Sofia’s teachers and about 10% of pupils failed to reach school during the stoppage, while kindergartens stayed open with only isolated absences. He also proposed legal changes giving mayors power to close kindergartens in emergencies, a right they already hold for schools.

The metro, so far unaffected by the strike, will run until 01:30 am on Sunday night to serve a concert at the Vasil Levski National Stadium, and a handful of privately operated bus routes continue to run. Negotiations between City Hall and the unions are scheduled for Monday, but the drivers insist the blockade will not be lifted until their demands are met.