BDZ will finally sell tickets from vending machines, although a similar service has been in operation for several decades around the world. The service in our country started on Monday. Interestingly, the ticket vending machines were actually purchased five years ago. There are 30 of them and are located at 24 stations in the country. However, they have not been used for five years because online connectivity for the ticketing system was not established, and the order was appealed to the court. Tickets will still be available for purchase in the usual way - from a counter and from the conductor on the train.
"Over the years, two attempts have been made for public procurement for the supply of software. They were subsequently terminated. Last year, we announced a procedure for the construction of a new ticketing system, which also included similar software. But we decided to hurry up and purchase the necessary program so that these machines can be put into use”. This was explained in “Hello, Bulgaria” by engineer Ventsislav Slavkov, manager of “BDZ – Passenger Transport”.
He also demonstrated how to use the ticket vending machines, which also allow contactless payment. “The machines are officially launched at the Central Station, “Sugar Factory”, Poduyane, and the machine in Pernik will be operational on Wednesday at the latest”, Slavkov emphasized.
According to him, tickets from the machines are currently paid for only contactlessly, so as not to become a target of vandalism.