Three big protests caused traffic disruptions in Sofia and in the country

Three protests have been taking place in Sofia since the morning on May 18 - of the hauliers, the public transport workers and the taxi drivers. Key intersections were closed to traffic at rush hour. All are protesting against high prices and are demanding measures and help from the state.

"The state budget was passed without the necessary funds for this social public transport service. Things are going towards stopping the public transport. We want to keep our jobs," said Rosen Evgeniev, a public transport dispatcher.

"The underground may stop working. People got their wages at the last minute, on Monday. They were literally collecting the pennies so that people could get their wages for April," said Ivan Kirilov, chairman of the transport workers' federation “Podkrepa”.

"The estimate of 144 million BGN was made with diesel prices of 2.85 BGN. You can see that the price is increasing. It is the same with natural gas. The big problem in public transport after the Covid crisis came from energy carriers," commented Carlos Contrera, chairman of the transport committee, on the protest of public transport workers in Sofia.

Taxi drivers also took to the streets to protest. They gathered at around 9:00 on the Southern Arc of the Ring Road.

At 10:00, a procession of vehicles set off towards the city centre, blocking traffic for 10 minutes at each of the intersections around the Hygiene Centre and the National Palace of Culture.

They are demanding measures to reduce fuel prices.

The demands of the protesting road hauliers remain unchanged - to reduce excise duty on fuel and not to expand the scope of the toll system. They kept their promise not to completely block traffic on key roads.

"We expect to continue the constructive dialogue, we expect to achieve the necessary results and until then we will be in protest actions, we will defend our positions, we said this to the Prime Minister quite correctly, because currently, none of our demands has been fulfilled, and we have a moral duty not only to our colleagues, but to every Bulgarian citizen who support our protests," said Magdalena Miltenova, President of the Confederation of Bus Carriers.

"From yesterday's meeting there were two specific commitments - on our part, to hold a peaceful protest today and on the part of the government there is a commitment today not to be repressed, to allow the lorries to Sofia and not to record number plates for the purposes of follow-up checks. For the time being we are honouring the commitment, but unfortunately we are again forbidden by the government to do the things we have agreed with the Sofia Dirrectorate of the Ministry of Interior - to march to the Fourth Kilometre and go back to where lorries are allowed," said Dimitar Dimitrov of the Chamber of Road Carriers in Bulgaria.

There was tension in Bourgas after a lorry of one of the courier companies tried to pass through the blockade. The protesters described the action as a provocation by the transport minister:

Lorries and construction equipment blocked the right lanes of three of Plovdiv's main entry-exit roads. The protest is currently on Asenovgradsko Shose, Golyamokonarsko Shose and Tsarigradsko Shose.

Traffic in the remaining lanes in the area of the peaceful protest is normal, under police control.

A civil protest closed Kulata border crossing for a short period of time. The protest was organised by residents of Petrich and Sandanski (Southern Bulgaria), in support of the national protest of the road hauliers.

The protesters made a human chain. Thus the traffic was stopped for a very short time. With the protest, members of the public and hauliers aim to show that their patience is exhausted. The protesters said that if by Sunday their demands are not met, on Monday traffic will be blocked on all major roads in the southwestern Bulgaria, but this time with civil disobedience.

Images by Dessislava Kulelieva

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