The Ministry of Transport and Road Management says that the carriers make no profits as a result of the latest rises in the price of fuel, but it is not yet ready to increase the tariffs, Info-Prim Neo reports. Minister of Transport Vasile Ursu announced this on February 13. He said that the new tariffs for a passenger/kilometre could be approved until May. “The Ministry has already decided, but additional calculations are necessary so as we do not realise that we made a mistake in two-three months”. Vasile Ursu says that he will take into consideration the fact that the internal routes are more costly and the international routes are more profitable. As it is estimated, the price for a passenger/kilometre could be between 0,35 and 0,80 lei. Recently, in an open letter to the Ministry, the Association of Private Carriers of Moldova and the Federation of Road Transport and Road Workers’ Trade Unions demanded that the fares be increased, otherwise they will stage protests. The transporters demand that by January 18 the fares be adjusted to the current costs of minimum 0.4 lei per km in transport units with upholstered seats and of 0.42 lei per km in transport units with non-upholstered seats, as against the present tariffs of 0.30 lei and, respectively, 0.32 lei. Currently, the situation in the road passenger transport sector is tense because the carriers cannot cover their expenses by applying the tariffs approved in 2006. Since then, the price of diesel oil rose by 17.3% - from 10.1 lei to 11.85 lei per litre, the minimum salary increased from 450 lei to 900 lei, the price of tyres and spare parts rose at least threefold, while the sinking fund increased minimum five times, the transporters say.