An unpleasant incident occurred on public transport in Sofia. Two young women were held hostage on a trolley bus after the driver refused to let them get off. One of the affected girls spoke to BNT on February 6, requesting her identity to remain confidential.
On January 29, shortly after 10:00 PM, two girls got on trolley bus line 2. As they approached Sofia University, the trolley changed its route.
"He closed the doors, turned on very loud music, turned off the lights, and drove along Tsarigradsko Shose. We went to the door and pressed the stop button, but it didn’t work, and the driver didn’t stop anywhere, not even at the next stops. When I went to talk to him, he pretended not to see me or hear me, and continued driving fast. We started trying to convince him to let us off. He slowed down at the stops, as if mocking us or finding it amusing," the passenger said.
The girls panicked. While one was talking to the driver, the other called emergency number 112.
"He seemed verymuch like he was in a manic episode. It felt like he wanted to do something to us. He told her he would take us to the garage and we would see what happens there. I tried, I know it sounds silly, but I tried to break the doors with a hairbrush because there were no hammers. He really scared us, it was very frightening," the girl added.
At the stop after Pliska hotel, the driver stopped but didn’t open the doors.
"There were a few people at that stop, they saw us, I remember three girls and we were banging on the doors and shouting for help," the girl said, in tears.
We have received other reports with similar stories—drivers forcibly keeping people on the trolley. In one case, there is an ongoing prosecutor’s investigation. Another report, involving trolley number 2, came in just days before the incident with the girls. Sofia Public Electrical Transport Company (which owns, operates and maintains all existing trolleybus lines) said that an investigation is underway regarding the case. It is known that trolley was travelling to the 'Iskar' garage.
"This isn’t the first case, it happens that passengers didn’t hear the warning that the vehicle is destined to the garage or were late getting off, it is normal to stop at the next closest stop. The case will be reviewed by a disciplinary committee. We will check the cameras to assess exactly what happened. The incident is unpleasant, and I apologise for the inconvenience; appropriate measures will be taken," said Eng. Tihomir Valov, garage manager at Sofia Public Electrical Transport Company.
Possible sanctions include a disciplinary penalty or a fine.
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