U They are not public transport will be free from July 1, says the mayor of Niš, Dragoslav Pavlović. This was also announced by the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić when it was held in that city on May 17 a gathering of the Movement for the People and the State.
Mayor Pavlović claims that the state will provide 1,25 billion dinars for the second half of the year for subsidies to carriers, writes Južne vesti.
"It is about a subsidy that is paid for public city transport based on a tender from 2020. Every year, money for subsidies must be allocated from the city budget, which at this moment will not be allocated from the city budget and transport cards, but from the subsidies that we received and achieved in cooperation with the ministries," he stated.
However, the mayor did not say what will happen to the 24 million dinars, how much the validators, which were introduced just over four months ago, cost the citizens.
Due to the introduction of validators, many conductors in Niš recently lost their jobs, and what will happen to the controllers, who in the case of free transport will also have nothing to do - it is not yet known, but Pavlović says that "he is sure that no one will be without a job".
"It's not like the controllers won't be needed anymore because someone will have to look after the condition of the bus, someone will have to monitor the number of passengers, be there as a control body".
At the next session of the Assembly of Niš, the agenda will include items related to budget changes, as well as new decisions that should enable free transportation.
Expensive decisions of city authorities
The beginning of 2025 was also marked by free public transport in Belgrade, and student blockades were in full swing at that time.
At that time, experts assessed that this decision cemented the bad state of the city, as well as the difficult financial situation. Such a decision did not meet with positive reactions from the profession, and that's about it "Time" wrote.
Five months later, the President of Serbia announces free public transport in Nis, also at a time of heated atmosphere in society that has been going on for half a year. There is only one difference, the students are now demanding early parliamentary elections.
Source: Southern News/Vreme
