​CHISINAU PRIMARIA SUSPENDS SEVEN MARSHROUTKA ROUTES

Chisinau primaria [local executive authority] has announced suspending of seven routes, serviced by private route taxis. Chisinau Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca said that “primaria has repeatedly tried to reach a compromise with administrators and drivers of the marshroutkas [route taxi minibus], but with no result”.

According to him, in the first stage it has been decided suspending seven routes, which pass through the busiest neighborhoods, including the Chisinau downtown: 102, 105, 109, 110, 130, 155, 160, while in second stage it is planned to suspend routes 103, 104, 112, 115, 116, 119.

He mentioned that such a decision is due to many factors: stopping in prohibited places, overload of passengers, driving against the red light, speeding.

“Drivers ride as they want, and this is the basic threat for passengers’ life and health. The decision has been signed on Friday and comes into force beginning from Monday”, said the Mayor, not excluding that the administrators and drivers will challenge this decision in court.

According to him, “marshroutkas will not pass through the downtown, thus the drivers will have to accept and serve other routes, where there is no municipal public transport”.

“If they do not want to work, because fare was not raised, they may further protest. Up to September 1, the public transport park will be replenished with 50 trolleybuses and 30 buses. Thus the primaria desires to make its best so that passengers in the rush hour would not wait long for the public transport and would not feel any discomfort”, said Chirtoaca.

Also, at the Sunday meeting with marshroutkas’ drivers, Dorin Chirtoaca said that the priority in Chisinau will be given to trolleys and buses, the number of which will be raised.

“Fare may be increased even to 10 lei, but even then violations will not stop, money will not solve the problem”, said Chirtoaca

Drivers said that they are ready to work for certain time with 3 lei fare, but the enhanced control should be stopped.

After long arguments, failing to reach compromise, drivers started leaving the meeting room.

On the Monday meeting, Head of Municipal Public Transport and Roads Department, Igor Gamretki said that “a part of route taxis have stopped their protest action and came on the route and among them are some drivers, whose routes have been suspended”

After a long discussion of the route taxi problem, the meeting has taken the decision to revise the activity of some routes, which have not been suspended yet. According to primaria, the changes will be implemented in such a way that people from suburbs could easily get to the city.

Infotag’s dossier: Last week, marshroutkas’ drivers have not come on the route and demanded from primaria increasing fares and stopping enhanced controls. A similar situation occurred in March 2014, Back then, as well as now, primaria has raised the number of trolleys and buses. In total, there are 1.7 thousand route taxis in Chisinau. After the protest actions, the number of trolleys has been increased to 250 and of buses – to 170, but there exist possibility to increase the number of buses to 300.