Šapić: The decision on free transport is "purely political"

Belgrade Mayor Aleksandar Šapić he said on Friday that he will apply for subsidies for free public transport from January 1 next year from the City budget allocate a few tens of millions of euros more than before, writes New Economy.

Two days ago, the mayor of Belgrade announced that he would transportation from the beginning of the new year be free for all. Nikola Jovanović from the Center for Local Self-Government told "Vreme" at the time that nothing is free, and that everything that employers will not pay employees for transportation, we will all pay through the city budget - "and it is empty".

The decision on free public transport is part of the package of social measures implemented by the city, noted Šapić.

He also pointed out that the decision on free transportation is a "pure political decision aimed at responsible social policy."

He stated that expenditures for some other purposes will have to be reduced, as was the case for the last two years, without the citizens of Belgrade feeling it.

"Renewal" of the vehicle fleet

Two days ago, the mayor also announced the complete renewal of the fleet and that by the end of 2025, there will be no buses older than two years in Belgrade. From there, the question follows - why should a vehicle that is, for example, 10 years old, and in good condition, be withdrawn from traffic?

Ivan Banković, traffic engineer and president of the Trade Union Centar GSP Belgrade, told "Vreme" at the time that the fundamental logic is that withdrawing a serviceable bus and a quality vehicle just because of some administrative age limit is a populist measure. "Secondly, I see corrupt elements because if you have the procurement of exactly certain models of buses, and GSP and private carriers also buy from the Turkish manufacturer, it is too much for coincidence. In this case it is BMC."

Šapić said on Friday that the biggest public transport reform in Belgrade is underway.

"In the course of 2025, there will not be a single vehicle older than two years in transport, except for 100 Chinese buses that were ordered by the previous city administration, and those are the only ones we will repaint, the rest we will buy new," said the mayor.

Šapić: "Transportation will be completely restored"

Šapić pointed out that by the end of his term, public city transport will be restored, i.e. that all buses and trams will be new, stating that he is close to making a decision to replace trolleybuses with, in his opinion, more efficient and environmentally friendly electric vehicles, which will enable greater flexibility in monitoring the traffic dynamics of the city and the need to change routes.

Regarding the procurement of new trolleybuses and trams, Banković said that Šapić's statement regarding this procurement through a private-public partnership is "the most disastrous and most expensive form of borrowing".

"There are two models. The first is to invest in a company that you founded. 132 years ago, the city of Beorgad founded the City Transport Company "Belgrade", which has the basic activity of public urban and suburban passenger transportation and some other activities that follow on from that. You can either invest in the infrastructure, in the staff, in the vehicle fleet, in the material resources of the company and to strengthen that company and to set policies for the development of the city, and then the task of the company is to realize what the City of Belgrade has set as strategic goals. explained Banković.

He further stated that the second model is that there are credit lines, credit partners, especially when talking about green vehicles, i.e. vehicles that are ecologically clean, where you can take advantage of various subsidies offered, among other things, by the European Union.