Public Transport Strike to Paralyze Sofia on May 14 — Buses, Trams, and Trolleybuses Halted for Eight Hours

On May 14, Sofia will face major transportation disruption due to a strike by ground public transport workers. Buses, trolleybuses, and trams will remain in depots from 4:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The metro system will operate as usual.

The protest will take place under the slogan:
“Dignified work – Dignified pay! No transport, no economy!”

On Sunday, Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev confirmed that both residents and visitors will be left without public ground transport for several hours. He stated that the average gross salary for drivers in Sofia’s bus system is around 3,900 BGN, and in the metro about 4,600 BGN, not including 300 BGN in monthly food allowances. Despite average salary increases of about 150% since 2018, systemic issues remain unresolved.

“We can currently afford a 5% raise — about 100 BGN added to base salaries — but we simply have no other option,” Terziev explained.

Transport unions from KT "Podkrepa" and CITUB reject the proposal, arguing that transport workers are worth more than 100 BGN. They are demanding a 400 BGN increase, better service quality, and improved working conditions.

The Wednesday protest will take the form of rallies in front of depots and garages across the city, including:

• Tram Depot "Krasna Polyana", 149 Nikola Mushanov Blvd.

• "Tramkar" Division, 126A Tsar Boris III Blvd., Slavia District

• Tram Depot "Banishora", 30 Podpolkovnik Kalitin St.

• Tram Depot "Iskar", 5 Str. 5003, Iskar Industrial Zone

• Trolleybus Depot "Nadezhda", 28 Podpolkovnik Kalitin St.

• Trolleybus Depot "Iskar", 7 Amsterdam St., Iskar

• Trolleybus Depot "Levski", 26 Bessarabia St., Hadzhi Dimitar

• Bus Depot "Zemlyane", Zhytntsa St., Krasna Polyana

• Bus Depot "Druzhba", Capt. Lyuben Kondakov St., Iskar

• Bus Depot "Malashevtsi", 11 Rezbarska St. and 57 Jacques Duclos St., Hadzhi Dimitar

• Bus Depot "Druzhba", Prof. Tsvetan Lazarov Blvd., Iskar

The city is preparing for serious logistical challenges during the protest hours.