Update: The section of Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt Blvd between the streets Mitropolit Gavriil Bănulescu-Bodoni and Pushkin is blocked owing to carriers’ strike. National Patrol Inspectorate press officer Diana Fetko said the public transport units were rerouted. There is traffic congestion in central Chisinau.

Initial news item: The drivers of over 300 minibuses running on interurban routes parked the vehicles in the Great National Assembly Square of Chisinau to show their protest at the authorities’ delay in increasing fares on their demand. Traffic jams appeared downtown.

Nicolae Tofan has worked on the Chisinau-Strășeni route for six years. Asked by IPN to comment on their decision to protest, he said the problem is worsening and the drivers do not have money to even repair the motor vehicles, not to also maintain their families. “We want higher pays as we cannot cope,” he stated.

“How many times did the price of gasoline and diesel fuel rise? The fares yet remained unchanged since 2012. The tires grow more expensive, the taxes go up. The prices increase, but the fares do not. How shall we overcome this situation?” asked Petru Țurcanu, driver working on the Chisinau-Rezina route.|

“I came to protest because my salary is low and has been so for about ten years. I have a salary of 2,500 lei, but I work from 6am until 10pm,” stated Victor Sârcu from Strășeni.

The manager of a minibus route in Chisinau Veaceslav Găină, the co-organizer of the protest, said the carriers will not give up. In the morning they had a meeting with the minister of economy and in infrastructure where they reiterated the problems they face. More discussions were planned for 2pm. “We didn’t break the law. We go on and will definitely achieve results,” noted Veaceslav Găină.

The carriers announced that 1,000 to 1,500 routes will be suspended today, December 11.