In some minibuses in Chisinau, drivers posted warnings that passengers are responsible if they travel without a ticket. Route administrators told Info-Prim Neo that it was an attempt to get the passengers used to asking for a ticket and keeping it until the end of the trip. However, there is no regulation stipulating anything like this as is the case of trolleybuses.
“The goal is to make sure the passenger has a ticket”, said Serghei Olaru, administrator of routes 186, 113 and 188.
Mihai Reus, administrator of route 110, said that there were no such warnings in his minibuses because there weren’t any instructions to do so from the transport division or other institutions. However, he knew that some of his colleagues still did it.
Head of the Private Transporters Association Ion Mamaliga said this was a trick used by some drivers to make passengers keep the ticket until the end of the trip. Otherwise, if tax inspectors get on the minibus and find passengers without a ticket, the driver will be fined. Mamaliga admitted that there was no body that could fine the passengers. The Tax Inspectorate could apply fines only to route administrators.
Warnings about the passengers’ responsibility for trips without tickets have appeared since talks about raising the fares started and fiscal inspectors began checking if drivers offered tickets to passengers.
