The Bulgarian government will not yield to blackmail by transport companies, Transport Minister Nikolay Sabev warned.
In a post on Facebook, he wrote that in previous years the state had distributed subsidies to bus carriers generously and without much control, but "the film about the obedient transport companies on the state payroll is now over". According to him, it is those transporters who have been the most favoured so far who are now protesting.
During the week, the president of the Confederation of Bus Carriers, Magdalena Miltenova, accused PM Kiril Petkov of failing to engage in constructive dialogue after the carriers interrupted a meeting and left offended by the prime minister, who they said was unwilling to listen to them. Meeting between PM and transport operators ends abruptly
The transport industry wants the government to take action on high fuel prices and not to increase tolls for heavy goods vehicles. They threatened a nationwide blockade on 18 May, but Sabev told bTV that the state would not allow any violations in passenger transport.