Sofia Council to Introduce Green and White Tickets for Air Pollution Days

The Sofia Municipal Council is set to discuss the implementation of new green and white ticket policies to combat air pollution in the city. The proposed changes aim to encourage residents to use public transport on days when air pollution reaches elevated levels, particularly concerning fine particulate matter.

Under the new proposal, a green ticket priced at 1 leva will be available for the entire public transport network on days with high air pollution, while a free white ticket will be introduced on days with extremely polluted air. These measures were introduced by Deputy Mayor Nadezhda Bobcheva, alongside four councilors from the WCC-DB-SS coalition.

Currently, the municipality classifies pollution levels into four categories: up to 100 µg/m3, up to 150 µg/m3, from 150 µg/m3 to 200 µg/m3, and over 200 µg/m3. The new amendments will introduce more detailed categories, including levels up to 45 µg/m3, 46 to 75 µg/m3, 76 to 100 µg/m3, 101 to 150 µg/m3, and levels above 150 µg/m3. Additionally, the new regulations will take into account the finer particulate matter (FP) measurements of 2.5 microns (FP 2.5), as well as nitrogen dioxide excesses, which were not previously included.

If the proposal is approved, a green ticket will be issued when the particulate matter exceeds 100 µg/m3 of FP 10, as reported at two of the Ministry of Environment's eight licensed stations, or when FP 2.5 reaches 51 to 75 µg/m3. A free white ticket will be available when FP 10 exceeds 150 µg/m3. In these cases, the Center for Urban Mobility will be required to reduce the intervals for public transport services to encourage more people to use public transportation.