Bus tickets get cheaper after competition watchdog intervention

The North Bus Station (Gara de Nord) in Chisinau has lowered the prices of bookable tickets by 5-10 lei, in compliance with an order by the National Agency for Competition Protection (NACP). The Agency also fined a second bus operating company in Chisinau for failing to comply. “Following the cease-and-desist orders issued to Garile si Statiile Auto and Gara de Nord, only the latter complied with NACP's decision and annulled the unlawful booking fees. Garile si Statiile Auto which refused to comply, that being the second order faced by it, has been fined 700,000 lei, which is the equivalent of the unlawfully charged fees for a 10 month period”, NACP Board chair Viorica Carare told Info-Prim Neo. NACP's decisions are based on an assessment of prices of basic goods and services undertaken on the request of Deputy Speaker Vlad Plahotniuc. The prices were checked for correspondence with the Law on Competition Protection, in particular Art. 6 and 7, which forbid price fixing agreements and abuse of the dominant position on the market. “I find the NACP's decisions right and opportune. From what I know, one of the companies has already complied with the request to lower the fees. This is an example to follow by other companies as well. I think that when a state-run company (like Gara de Nord and Garile si Statiile Auto) encounters a budget deficit, this should be handled through management instruments, and not at the expense of the citizens”, Vlad Plahotniuc told Info Prim Neo. “Moreover, I think that not only state-run companies should be subjected to a thorough assessment, but all the organizations that are intended to serve the interests of the citizens. This way we could discover cases of excessive bureaucracy, illegalities and possible cases of corruption”, explained Vlad Plahotniuc.