site.btaTransport Minister Presents Public Transport Bill to Municipalities Association

Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov Thursday presented a Public Transport Bill to the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB). He said, as quoted by his Ministry, that the bill introduce. "the most important reform in public transport in Bulgaria in half a century." 

The bill was published for public discussion last week. It provides for the creation of a National Transport Scheme with coordinated timetables and a minimum of three transport connections per day for each settlement. It also provides for a National Access Point and an Intelligent Public Transport Management System, which will provide real-time data, control over implementation, and transparency in subsidies. The bill also includes the creation of a single electronic transport document valid for different types of transport, as well as mechanisms for inter-municipal cooperation and the possibility of transport on demand.

Karadjov told NAMRB that for decades, there has been talk of a national transport scheme, a transport model, and a single ticket, but so far no one has undertaken such a reform. "The bill has been developed with a primary focus on the passenger, with the State and municipalities defined as instruments for ensuring the convenience, accessibility, and predictability of the service," he said.

According to data provided by municipalities, 738 out of 5,256 settlements in the country have no public transport, and another 601 have inadequate service - with schedules only on paper, irregular lines, and lack of connections. Only 61 settlements have adequate transport services. The lack of access prevents children from getting to school, elderly people from getting medical care, and workers from getting to their jobs.

The Transport Ministry specifies that the reasons for the situation are systemic: a fragmented regulatory framework for different types of transport, the absence of a unified system of interconnected timetables, insufficient control, the lack of a unified ticketing system, and poor coordination between the State and municipalities. The new law aims to solve all these problems at once, Karadjov noted.

NAMRB Executive Director Silvia Georgieva said, as quoted by the Transport Ministry, that this is the first time such a modern, socially oriented law has been proposed, putting the passenger at the centre. The NAMRB is ready to participate in the working groups for the preparation of the secondary legislation.

According to the Minister, municipalities will have more effective planning tools, a model for inter-municipal unions, clear rules for fares and schedules, access to real-time data, and the possibility of integrating local transport schemes with the national one.

The Public Transport Bill aims to eliminate the transport isolation of hundreds of settlements, ensure predictability for travellers, provide municipalities with modern working mechanisms, and introduce European quality standards, the Ministry's press release reads.