Plovdiv protest calls for overhaul of city public transport

Around 50 residents gathered in front of the Plovdiv municipal council building to demand urgent reforms of the city’s public transport system. The demonstration was organized by the civic initiative “Plovdiv – city for the people”, which has already submitted a petition with thousands of signatures outlining specific proposals, including ending reliance on private operators, adding new routes, improving schedules and introducing cleaner, eco‑friendly buses.

Protesters noted that a new ten‑year contract with a consortium to operate the 29 city lines began on 1 July, but they argue that a municipal transport company would better serve the public. They urged the council to place their proposals on the agenda for the 16 July session or schedule an extraordinary meeting before the end of the month. Council chair Atanas Uzunov said the issues would be addressed at the next session on 3 August.