Some 300 bus stops in Chisinau have been renovated by a company that took over the claims of EPA Media, a company that built the stops after winning a tender in January 2007. Igor Munteanu, deputy head of the housing and planning division, told IPN that there is a schedule according to which the company that undertook to administrate the bus stops will renovate them by the end of August.

“We must take care of the stops before next month so that on September 1, when the new circulation chart of public transportation comes into the effect, the stops are ready”, said Munteanu.

The sanitation of stops remains the responsibility of municipal authorities. The housing and planning division is negotiating with the company to take over sanitation works as well.

Ten stops have been rented out to a mobile company to be used for advertising. “The idea was to do this for all the stops, for EPA Media to build them and have the exclusive right to place advertisements there”, he explained.

The look of the bus stops will remain unchanged after the repairs. The pillars will be dyed gray and not bronze as they were. Igor Munteanu regrets that many of the already repaired stops have been shortly destroyed. In order to avoid any more chaotic situations, money will be allotted from the local budget for their maintenance by the planning division.