Minibus routes battles in Chisinau

Several companies accuse the Chisinau administration of protecting corruption and blocking work of passenger minibuses, Info-Prim Neo reports. “The basic element of this financial pyramid is “the position on the route”, for which considerable fees are taken from ordinary transporters and drivers, by 3-8 thousand euros from each of them,” said Oleg Alexa, the deputy manager of Taxi-service Plus SRL, at a news conference on June 23. According to the speakers at the news conference – representing firms “Ruta- Prim”, “Fatima Morari”, “Ivas-auto” – , mayor Dorin Chirtoaca and deputy mayor Nistor Grozavu adopt different illegal ordinances offering no-bid routes to transporters. They claim the mayor abused his powers when he issued, on May 27, an ordinance annulling the results of the contest. “In order to further encourage the sale of “the positions on the route” the mayor “conferred legal value” to a decision of 2000. It has not been valid since 2003, since it runs counter the norms later adopted by the Parliament and Government. By that decision the mayor actually took Chisinau out of the legal scope applied in Moldova, leaving only a local decision of 2000,” Oleg Alexa said. The regulation on transporting passengers and baggages in the urban public conveyance has long become an apple of discord. The mentioned regulation was put up by councilor Oleg Oniscenco, but was criticized by the mayor and other municipal councilors. It was then returned to be improved, as the results of the contest were canceled. Deputy mayor Nistor Grozavu says the mayor's objections as to that document actually favored the carriers. “We're not against a tender, but we want it to be organized on the basis of the law. The proposed regulation was not put up by the city hall and was actually against the transporters. At the same time, it runs counter governmental decisions. The contest was held and the regulation was endorsed without the participation of three factions from the Municipal Council (PL, PLDM, AMN),” Grozavu said. According to the deputy mayor, Dorin Chirtoaca asked to abolish the period of using vehicles, thinking their technical testing as sufficient. As the regulation and the contest were canceled, the mayor had the right to appoint provisory administrators on some routes, Grozavu explains. “Oleg Alexa's anger is caused by the situation at his Taxi service Plus, Grozavu says. Its administration declared itself as a successor of the founder “Taxi-service” and started to fire employees. Then it turned out that those companies have nothing in common. And, as many employees complain to the city hall, Alexa comes up with ungrounded accusations against the city hall,” Grozavu stated. The deputy mayor reiterated the idea that a contest for the minibus routes will be organized according to the law and only after a new regulation is adopted.