The minibuses older than 15 years will continue working on the municipal public transport routes. A relevant order was issued by the Mayor General of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca on January 11. According to the order, the minibuses will work until the minibus routes are supplemented with the necessary number of transport units. In a press release, the Chisinau City Hall says that such a decision was necessary because under the regulations concerning the auto transportation of passengers and luggage approved by the Government Decision No.854 of July 2006, about 500 converted freight vans were withdrawn from the municipal routes on January 1, 2008. Earlier, the local authorities expressed their concern over the decreasing number of minibuses working on municipal routes as this can endanger the normal activity of public transport. About 1,600 minibuses transport passengers in Chisinau at present. Since the Government banned the use of converted vans for transporting passengers last July, about 400 units of transport had been taken out of routes in the municipality of Chisinau alone. The minibus owners staged numerous protests, asking that the given law be cancelled, but the central authorities did not modify the prior decision.