It is possible that traffic in Sofia will be disrupted today due to a protest by taxi drivers, the press center of the Sofia Municipality announced, quoted by BTA.
A taxi drivers' protest will take place in Sofia on December 20, Snezhana Nikova - chairwoman of the Branch Organization of Taxi Drivers and Carriers in Bulgaria (Burgas) announced a few days ago at a press conference at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia. The reason for the protest is the increase in the price of mandatory "Civil Liability" insurance. We were going to close highways, roads and border crossings, but we decided not to do so so as not to disturb the citizens and the bright holidays. If there is no decision by the New Year, the protests will continue and we will not stop only within Bulgaria, Nikova said then.
From 8:30 to 17:00 today, traffic difficulties are possible, the Municipality informed in connection with a protest event of the National Protest of Taxi Drivers in Bulgaria, with a request to impose a temporary restriction by decision of the National Assembly in the prices of the mandatory “Civil Liability“ insurance. If necessary, at the discretion of the “Traffic Police” department at the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs, traffic will be stopped and restricted in stages.
A motorcade with the first beam has been agreed with a meeting point for participants from 8:30 to 10:00 on “Tsarigradsko Shose“ Blvd. in the area of the 7th kilometer, in the direction of the center. The motorcade is from 10:00 on the route Blvd. „Tsarigradsko Shosse“, along „Tsar Osvoboditel“ Blvd. to „Knyaz Alexander I“ Sq. Parking and stopping of cars will be done on the square.
The second beam with a meeting point for participants is also from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m., on „Tsaritsa Yoanna“ Blvd. at the corner with „Louis Pasteur“ Blvd. in the direction of the center. The motorcade is from 10:00 a.m. along the route „Tsaritsa Yoanna“ Blvd., along „Todor Aleksandrov“ Blvd., along „Tsar Osvoboditel“ Blvd. to „Knyaz Alexander I“ Sq. with parking and parking of cars on the square.
A pedestrian procession of participants from both sides of the motorcade has also been agreed upon at 11:15 a.m. The route is from Sq. „Knyaz Alexander I“ along Str. „Knyaz Alexander I“, to the right along Str. „Alabin I.Vl.“ to Str. „Graf Ignatiev“ No. 2, where a protest rally will take place, without obstructing the movement of public transport and road vehicles, after which the participants in the pedestrian procession return back along Str. „Alabin I. Vl.“, to the left along Str. „Knyaz Alexander I“ to Sq. „Knyaz Alexander I“. The event ends at 5:00 p.m.
On December 16, the Secretary of the Head of State for Economy and Investment Hristo Alexiev met with representatives of the protesting taxi drivers. They presented their demands and expectations for legislative changes regarding the significant increase in the price of mandatory “Civil Liability” insurance.
The protests of taxi drivers will continue, Volodya Domashenko, co-chairman of the National Association for the Protection of Carriers and Taxi Drivers, told BTA at the beginning of the month. He explained that although taxi companies managed to negotiate a significantly smaller increase in the mandatory “Civil Liability” insurance with some of the insurers, drivers still find the prices too high.
The National Taxi Union wants the National Assembly to adopt a decision to limit the possibility of price abuse (prevention, restriction or distortion of competition) by insurance companies offering mandatory “Civil Liability“ insurance, until the introduction of fair regulation of the insurance market and the implementation of a “bonus-malus“ system and risk assessment of each driver, based on his individual performance.