The toll fees for vehicles weighing between 3.5 tons and 12 tons will be the lowest in Europe

The system will cover 10,800 km of the national roads

The toll prices set in the World Bank’s proposal for trucks weighing between 3.5 tons and 12 tons, which are used mainly for domestic transport in Bulgaria, are the lowest in Europe. The toll for vehicles over 12 tons is average for Europe. A low price is provided for the buses, and the revenues from them will be in the same amount as the ones received so far from the vignette fee. This was announced today by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Petya Avramova on the occasion of the started talks with carriers about toll tariffs.

The Minister added that the scope of the toll system will include 10,800 km of a total of 20,000 km of national road network. It will cover highways and first-class roads, as well as some second- and third-class roads that are in good working condition.

We see carriers in Bulgaria as our partners, to whom we must provide good roads in view of the implementation of their activities and for the required road safety. We are looking for a constructive dialogue with the industry, Avramova stressed.

The introduction of the toll system is a difficult, yet extremely necessary reform in the road sector in Bulgaria. Nearly 70% of Bulgarians believe that it is fairer for heavy-load trucks to pay more for their travel on the national road network. We need funds to build and repair roads. The calculations show that in order for the Road Infrastructure Agency to fulfill its obligations and for us to travel on a good road network, about BGN 1 billion a year are needed, the regional minister added. The reform is necessary and I believe that with the dialogue we established today, it will be introduced in the country, because we all want funds for this underfunded system over the years, which needs to be rehabilitated and repaired, said Petya Avramova.

We expect a lot of speculation about the rising prices. That is why the World Bank prepared a comparative table on the impact of the new toll tariff on the price of basic food products from the consumer basket, said Minister Avramova. She gave the example of Germany, where the introduction of the toll system also speculated to increase product prices by 7-8%, but the real rise was by 0.15%.

With the toll, we will restore justice in the road sector. The European solidarity model is “the one who burdens more, pays more”. We understand the carriers, but we will be able to finish what we started as a policy. Their is a lot of pressure on the carriers. With this system, we will not become “killers” of the transport industry, said Deputy Minister Nikolay Nankov. In response to a question, he said that the expected revenues from the toll system amount to BGN 1.160 billion per year. The Deputy Minister stressed that a total of about 30,000 km - 10,000 km of national road network and 20,000 km of municipal roads - will be free for heavy-load traffic.

New meetings are forthcoming, including at the expert level, where we can exchange information, figures and key parameters, to see their impact on the formation of tariffs. Based on this exchange of information, we expect to converge, said Prof. Oleg Asenov – Executive Director of the National Toll Management.

Bulgaria will have one of the cheapest maintenance systems – about 15% of the total revenues will be spent for this purpose, informed Minister Avramova.