Victor Martaniuc blames journalists for misinterpreting his statements

A week after the head of the Chisinau Electric Transport Department (RTEC), Victor Martaniuc, told reporters that he would not execute „blindly” the interim mayor’s orders to reduce the number of trolleybuses, Martaniuc claims that journalists “didn’t understand his statement properly, making politics out of it”. Info-Prim Neo reminds that at the mayoralty’s working meeting on August 7, Ursu demanded to reduce the number of transport units due to economy reasons, warning the heads of the transport enterprises that they might lose their jobs if the urban transportation stops because of lack of funds for their maintenance. Then Martaniuc retorted that the priority task of the local authorities is not to reduce the number of transport units, but to ensure appropriate travel conditions for the passengers. According to him, RTEC took off the circuit temporarily 56 trolleybuses of those 270, and he cannot go further out of respect to the passengers. At the next meeting of the mayoralty, on August 14, Martaniuc claimed that what he has told the last week was “a working moment and none should make politics out of it”. He admonished the journalists attending the meeting, warning that he will think twice before speaking to the press, given the fact that the media “understands improperly” his statements. This time, Martaniuc agreed with Ursu regarding the big number of trolleybuses circulating on the streets of the capital without passengers, noting that this thing was confirmed by 2 surveys produced by RTEC specialists. As result, other 100 units were taken off. At the same time, Martaniuc noted that trolleybuses circulate at intervals of 15 minutes and that „many routes cross each other”, this way the passengers would not feel any inconveniences. According to the Public Transport Department’s data, about 220 trolleybuses, 97 buses and 1,600 minibuses circulate on the streets of the capital at the moment.