Minibuses to suspend their circulation as protest

For two days, minibuses from Chisinau municipality will suspend their activity for several hours as sign of protest against authorities’ intention to eliminate reequipped minibuses from the passenger transportation activity. Protests will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 24-25 between 10:00 -12:00 AM. Transporters assert that, in case authorities continue to ignore their requests, they reserve themselves the right to organize protest meetings and marches. The head of the Public Transport and Communications department, Veaceslav Tarna declared, on Monday as part of the special session at the City Hall that the municipality will solicit the Government to examine once again the situation and take a decision which would be favorable to the owners of the reequipped cars. According to Tarna, during the compulsory overhaul effectuated in October, out of 1656 minibuses admitted for inspection, 1380 were accepted for the activity of transporting passengers. The drivers are currently in a “passive strike”, which, as they assert will continue till the adequate reaction from the authorities’ come. In this way they intend to warn the passengers about the intention of the authorities. Minibus owners solicit the amendment of the 5th stipulation of the Government’s decision, in force since August 8, 2006, through which the Executive aims to exclude, within a year, the reequipped means of transportation from public circuit. According to the decision, till the end of this year, minibuses made in 1991-92 are to be eliminated, and, till the end of the next year – the rest of the minibuses. The Association of Private Transporters pleads for banning new licenses to reequipped cars and for their replacement with vehicles that would correspond to requirements, but only when the re-equipped ones will become too old.