"We need to repair the toll system because money is leaking from it." This opinion was expressed on the air of the Bulgarian National Radio by Bogdan Milchev from the Road Safety Institute. According to him, the fees need to be raised, but at the same time, the toll system needs to be corrected.
"Everyone in the country knows that toll taxis can be harassed," said Milchev. He insisted on a serious revision of the entire toll administration.
On the one hand, the toll system is hostage to lobbies in the transport sector, on the other hand - to the fact that the state has no control over it, the expert commented.
The key to the toll system lies in a monopolist company, he is categorical. According to him, 7% is taken by the company that sells tolls in our country, compared to an average of 3% in Europe.
"In Bulgaria, tolls are three times lower than those in Hungary, Austria, Greece and Serbia. Incomes in our country are not three times lower than in these countries. We use the cheapest roads, which are also the worst", Milchev warned and recalled that when the toll system was launched, the expectations were to collect 1 billion leva per year.
"Are we improving the road network? Do we feel it? The RIA has launched a study for 200,000 leva to see if we are satisfied with our roads. And the little money we spend, we don't spend it purposefully and effectively," the specialist said, specifying that if we don't collect more money, our roads will never look better.
Raising tolls and unclogging the construction of the "Hemus" motorway are two revolutionary things that Minister Ivan Ivanov managed to do, without the protests that have accompanied the increase in tolls so far, is Milchev's opinion.