Moldovan carriers demand higher tariffs, authorities call to cooperation

Chisinau, 16 December /MOLDPRES/ - More carriers, members of the Employers’ Association of Motor Transport Operators (APOTA) today protested in the centre of Chisinau, demanding the revision of the tariffs for the passenger transport.

APOTA repeatedly submitted an approach to the Infrastructure and Regional Development Ministry (MIDR), thereby demanding the authorities’ intervention to remedy the carriers’ situation, as well as the growth of the tariffs for passengers.  

For his part, Deputy Prime Minister, Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Andrei Spinu came up with a reaction, stressing that one of his principal concerns was that ‘’people benefit from safe, comfortable and accessible transport services and the price paid for the transport services should be fair and meet the current realities.’’  

“We accepted all approaches by carriers, we had more meetings and agreed that the ministry would made calculations for the real tariff. We inform you that, on 16 November this year, an approach was sent by the Infrastructure and Regional Development Ministry to the carriers, in order to provide the needed information on the tariffs’ calculation. So far, we have received information and data only from nine transport operators out of 67 ones. Only seven out of the transport ones presented information according to the approach sent,’’ Spinu said.    

According to Andrei Spinu, the logic to demand the tariffs’ increase is not understood, ‘’if when we demand concrete data, based on which we should take this decision, we have no reaction.’’ ‘’Each time we said that we appreciate the right to protest, we support it and we will not create obstacles to the carrying out of these events.’’   

The deputy PM noted that, for the moment, MIDR specialists analyzed the accountancy data received from carriers, National Motor Transport Agency and the National Statistics Bureau. ‘’In continuation, according to data, reports, informative notes and expertise, which stayed at the basis of the earlier tariffs’ regulation, in line with the methodology of calculation of tariffs for the services of carrying passengers, the ministry will soon present the calculations made for the passenger transport tariffs,’’ Andrei Spinu said.     

“I mention that we counted on cooperation and openness on behalf of the carriers. We expected that most of them accept our demand to present data and based on the legal norms, having the methodology at the basis, to jointly agree on the real tariff. Yet, this has not been cleared up so far,’’ Spinu noted.   

In the context, the infrastructure minister also said that a new meeting with more passenger transport operators would be held next week.

The last protest of the carriers took place on 25 November.