TV Report Shows Bulgarian Bus Security Close to Zero

Scores of cardboard boxes with unclear origin and without any control are travelling daily on buses across Bulgaria only against a verbal agreement with the driver and a small amount of cash. File photo by Cross.bg

Security measures on Bulgarian buses remain inexistent even in the aftermath of the deadly terror attack in Burgas, an investigative report has revealed.

The July 18 terrorist attack in Bulgaria's Burgas, also known as the Burgas Bus Bombing, killed 5 Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian bus driver at the Sarafovo Airport.

In recent days, a number of media aired footage showing scores of cardboard boxes with unclear origin and without any control travelling daily on buses across the country only against a verbal agreement with the driver and a small amount of cash.

The largest private TV channel bTV showed Wednesday morning an experiment with three randomly selected buses and three packages of newspapers, magazines and fruit, wrapped as gifts. The investigative reporters were able to send them without any obstruction while paying an average of only BGN 5 per package. Two of the drivers did not ask what the packages contained, but then told reporters waiting at the end point that they had personally checked them.

The CEO of the Central Bus Station in the capital Sofia, Ivan Miroslavov, said before TV cameras that all drivers have been warned to not accept packages that are not accompanied by a passenger.

"We can monitor this; we have 54 security cameras and from now on it is obvious that we need to become watchdogs and have one of our employees with every driver," Miroslavov stressed.

He explained that the number of security guards has been upped and police and security can react in two to two and a half minutes on alerts of a suspicious package.

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