Buses in Bulgaria Quit Parcel Deliveries amid Heightened Security Concerns

Bus companies in Bulgaria will face penalties for executing parcel deliveries. Photo by BGNES

Bus drivers in Bulgaria will no longer deliver parcels, according to Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski.

According to a statement of the Transport Minister cited by Standard daily, this constitutes an unregulated courier service, which has already been banned.

"If this is necessary, we shall adopt legal amendments to impose penalties on the bus companies offering the service," Moskovski notes.

He adds that inspectors at the Executive Agency Automobile Administration have no right to check passengers' luggage but have instructed transport companies to be more cautious.

Passengers' luggage can only be searched in joint checks with the police triggered by tip-offs about heightened risk.

According to unofficial reports, in 2008, when the national counter-terrorism plan was being prepared, the State Agency for National Security (DANS) insisted that drivers should check passengers' luggage, but the Transport Ministry declared that they could not force private transport companies to make checks.

The discussions on security measures on buses are largely driven by the July 18 bus bombing in the Black Sea city of Burgas, which killed 7 and injured at least 30.

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