Transporters have protested, while MEI officials say a meeting is due to take place

12.09.2019 15:46
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Employers' Association of Road Transport Operators (APOTA), through its leader Oleg Alexa, accused of lies the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure (MEI) and organized a protest on September 12. The main dissatisfaction resides in the low fares for intercity transport tickets. MEI officials say, in their turn, that transporters have triggered protest actions although they set up a meeting with ministry officials on September 16.

Oleg Alexa told IPN that ministry officials lied to transporters on several counts. "Since June 26, Minister Vadim Brînzan has the internal calculations on the increased transport tariff and, according to their calculations, it is of 71 bani / km," said APOTA head. He says ministry officials pretend that they discuss tariffs with transporters, although they had established them a long time ago.

A second lie, according to Oleg Alexa, comes from Andrei Ciornii, Secretary of State at MEI. According to Oleg Alexa, the official promised that by September 12 he would forward the calculations on tariffs to ministry specialists. "I called all specialists from the road transport section. None of them has any calculations given by us to Secretary of State Andrei Ciornii," said Oleg Alexa.

He also said that Minister Brânzan had asked for some time, so that the increase in transport tariffs could come along with the compensations given to vulnerable persons. "I called those people from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection who should deal with the development of such a mechanism. None of these specialists received any request for developing a mechanism to help vulnerable people from the Ministry of Economy”, declared Oleg Alexa.

APOTA head mentioned that after the protest of September 12, transporters would knock on the doors of Prime Minister Maia Sandu and Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Nastase'. "If we are not listened to, the protest will continue and others will follow. We have not suspended any of the planned races. We came to the PMAN square only by cars that were on a break. Next time there will be more of us," said Oleg Alexa.

Alina Merlici, chief consultant at Communication and Protocol Department of the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, told IPN that transporters had already agreed to meet the ministry officials on September 16. "Then all the transporters’ questions will be answered. Transporters know that this meeting will take place, but in spite of that they have organized the protest,” said Alina Merlici.