OREANDA-NEWS. April 17, 2012. Carriers demand to raise tariffs for interurban carriage of passengers to 92 bans per 1 passenger-kilometer. The demand was presented during a meeting of Premier Vladimir Filat and leaders of patronages of the Association of Transport men and Roadmen of Moldova(ATR) and the Association of Patronages of Carriers (APC).

Representatives of patronages addressed to Filat with the request about his personal interference in the situation concerning tariffs on interurban carriage of passengers. The joint statement of the two organizations runs that they addressed to the Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure repeatedly during 3 year with the request to adjust tariffs on regular interurban carriage of passengers. However the Ministry of transport ignores carriers, which is the obvious violation of the law.

“The situation in the area of motor transport is crying. Increase in prices for combustibles and lubricants from 10,86 leis/l in 2008 to 16,85 leis by April, 2012 alongside with growth in prices for auto spares, services, electricity and tariffs on gas resulted to discrepancy between tariffs on passenger carriage and real costs of operator of the market. This, in its turn, led operators to the edge of bankruptcy”, the statement runs. According to calculations based on real prices, the tariff is to be 85-95 bans per 1 passenger-kilometer.

The charters of both organizations stipulate that they have to push forward and present joint economic and legal interests of their members and suppose using of all possible legal methods, such as protests and suits, to make the Ministry of transport and Road Infrastructure meet its obligations in regulating prices for passenger transportation.

Taking into consideration possible expenses for organization of protest and sue charges, both organizations ask the Ministry of transportation to establish the new tariff on interurban passenger transportation at a sum of 93 bans per 1 passenger-kilometer. At present the tariff is 36 bans/km for vehicles with hard seats and 38 bans/km for vehicles with soft ones.