Moldovan passenger carriers might import buses older than ten years

Chisinau, 27 December /MOLDPRES/ - The term of exploitation allowed at the import of buses with a capacity bigger than 20 persons, classified at the tariff position 8702, might be increased from ten years at present to 15 years, under a draft law presented by a group of MPs as a legislative initiative. The cabinet gave a positive note to the draft today.   

The document also provides for the introduction of age restrictions for the vehicles involved in carrying persons. The amendments would lead to the stimulation of the renewal of the buses’ park, enhancing the level of security and quality of the transport services, as well as the change of the criteria of transport units’ admission to the providing of road transport services, the draft’s authors said. According to the amendments made to the Road Transports Code, starting from 1 September 2022, the use of road vehicles meant for the transport of goods, re-equipped for the carriage of people, is banned.  

In the note, the government says that “the approach proposed by the authors represents a temporary solution and does not solve the problems set forth for long term, as while analyzing the European practice, we find out that the conditions of allowing to traffic are based on technical and ecological standards and not age restrictions.”   

According to data from the state register of transports, at the situation on 1 June 2019, 21,099 buses were registered in Moldova, of which about 84 per cent had a capacity of up to 24 places, 6.5 per cent – 25-40 places and 9.2 per cent – more than 40 places. Only 7.54 per cent out of all the transport units notified at the National Motor Transport Agency have an age of up to 10 years, 64.55 per cent – between ten and 20 years and 27.52 per cent have more than 20 years. The approval of amendments proposed will allow replacing namely the transport units with an age of more than 20 years, as well as most of the transport units with an age between 10 and 20 years.   

Moreover, the capacity of mini-buses, as a rule, is of 20 places. Yet, to meet the legal provisions of the Customs Code, which allow the import of transport units with a bigger capacity than 20 places with an age of up to 10 years, the transport companies make constructive changes, in order to increase the capacity of these transport units. The cabinet suggests that the authorities establish an age limit of 12 years for the import of vehicles meant for the carriage of more than 9 persons.      

At the same time, the implementation of the aforementioned proposals in the legislative initiative will allow reducing by over 70 per cent the emissions coming from the transport units with an exploitation period of over 20 years.

The note also shows that only 6, 569 out of all the buses registered in Moldova (21 099 units) are notified at the National Motor Transport Agency, which shows that the only 32 per cent of the current park is used for the providing of road services against payment; the rest of them are used in one’s own or personal interest, including for the providing of illicit transport services.