Season tickets for trolleybus for students and pupils could cost MDL 100

Season tickets for trolleybus per 1 month for students and pupils could cost MDL 120 and respectively MDL 100 in case the Chisinau Municipal Council will refuse to allocate to the Electric Transport Management (ETM) MDL 9.2 mln for covering these costs. The head of ETM, Victor Martaniuc declared for Info-Prim Neo that the increase by 33% of the tariffs in public transport generates, imminently the increase in price of the season tickets. According to the quoted source, the real cost of a 1 month ticket for students is MDL 120 and for pupils – MDL 100. In order to keep the old prices, of MDL 33 and MDL 22 a contribution of MDL 9.2 mln is needed. Otherwise, the season tickets will be sold at the real cost. Victor Martaniuc states that the ETM is not capable of covering these expenses because it has great debts at preparing the transport for the cold season. More, the local administration is to give to the ETM MDL 41 mln, included in the municipal budget for 2006. From the beginning of the year, the ETM distributed 268 thousand season tickets and lost in this way MDL 11 mln 860 thousand. In 2005, the number of sold season tickets amounted to 500 thousand, so that the losses exceeded MDL 22 mln. At the Monday meeting of the City Hall, the interim Mayor Vasile Ursu asked the transport enterprises to reduce the number of transport because of the reduced inflow of passengers. He suggested them to earn their living on their own and not to count on the municipal budget.