Minister Petya Avramova: From March 1, the toll system starts, I expect the transport industry to be mobilised

We will help for an agreement to be reached between the carriers and the national service providers to make free use of on-board devices and GPS trackers, where the the costs will be covered by the envisaged 7% service commissions that national providers will receive from the Road Infrastructure Agency.

This was commented by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Petya Avramova, in an interview with BNT.

The toll system is technically ready to start and facilitate commercial operations on March 1, Avramova said. The problem is the readiness of the carriers to equip themselves from March 1 with on-board devices and GPS trackers. The transport industry can use GPS devices if their provider has a contract with a National Service Provider. This will be synchronized in the coming days, Avramova added. I hope that from March 1 the carriers will undertake their commitments, because all their wishes have been fulfilled. The Minister called on the representatives of the transport sector to mobilise by March 27 and work with route maps, making a smooth transition to the equipment with on-board devices.

The carriers pointed out their problems, and we are trying to balance all kinds of interests – political and economic.  First we reduced the scope of the toll system, leaving only highways and first-class roads. We also reduced prices. We are starting the system on March 1 with the lowest toll fees in Europe and a very small range – 3,115 km of roads, said Petya Avramova.

The regional minister commented that the largest reform in the road sector in the last 20 years will generate more revenue for Bulgaria’s roads. They will be invested in infrastructure. A fairer model of payment for traffic on national roads will also be implemented. Currently, 2/3 of the revenue from vignette fees is from cars, and only 1/3 – from heavy-load traffic, which destroys the roads the most. The toll system will have other benefits too – increased control will brighten the grey sector in the industry. It will also support the work of the Ministry of Interior and the Customs Agency, because the toll system will be connected to them. It will also be determined whether the trucks are overloaded.

Avramova commented that according to the industry representatives, these parametres of the system will result in the revenues set in the 2020 budget of BGN 450 million from toll fees. In our opinion, this will not be achieved, so we have given ourselves a period of 3 months to monitor revenues and if they do not meet those set in the budget, we will adjust, she added. A balance must be struck between public and private economic interest.

The scope of the vignette system in Bulgaria has not changed since its introduction, except for the added new sections after their construction. All settlements that have expressed a desire to be without vignettes have been in the system so far. The introduced new way of control, which is larger in scope, with cameras, worried people. It turns out that since 2005 they have been driving without vignettes. 14 municipalities have already submitted a request for exemption of sections from this fee.

Regarding the repair of the Vitinya tunnel, the Minister explained that a new cladding is being built, anchors for reinforcement have been installed, 2 pedestrian and one road crossing between the two tubes must be built. All systems and facilities are expected to be built by the end of 2020.

We have not given up on the Struma Highway project, we are working on the application form. In 2020, we will implement the measures provided for in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the existing route, Avramova added.