FLASH NEWS
Bus fleet reduction of up to 60%, second day without full public transport service
2026-04-16 08:17:49 / AKTUALITET
Public transport operators in Tirana and the districts will continue to operate with reduced service of 40 to 60% today.
The decision was made at a meeting held yesterday afternoon with representatives of operators for the country's 450 lines and leaders of the National Association of Urban Transport and the Association of Urban and Interurban Transport.
After the meeting, the Chairman of the Urban and Interurban Transport Association, Dashnor Memaj, told "Monitor" that the operators are looking forward to meeting with the responsible institutions to approve their request for compensation.
Otherwise, if there is no reaction from the institutions, they will escalate measures to further reduce the service.
"The operators remained determined to approve their request for compensation of up to 100 lek per liter following the increase in the price of oil, a request submitted at the meeting held on April 1 through an "Emergency Anti-Crisis Package" to the ministries, to avoid the reduction in service that at the national level has reached up to 60%.
"In the event of a lack of response from the institutions, the measures to reduce services will be escalated," said Memaj.
On the first day of the operators' protest, the number of buses for Tirana's 50 urban lines went from 200 to 115 vehicles in service.
While in the districts the reduction in service was higher. In the city of Durrës the number of buses providing public service was reduced by 50%, in the city of Vlora by 60%, in Berat by 60%, in Lushnje by 50% and in Peshkopi by 40%.
Today, the number of buses in the main districts where urban and interurban public transport operates has reached up to 60%.
According to estimates by public transport associations, the increase in the price of oil has increased operators' costs by up to 800 thousand euros per month, making it difficult for them to continue with full service.
Public transport associations have proposed that the compensation be carried out for a period of 6 months and the fund is estimated at 300 million lek or about 3 million euros.
Regarding the oil price compensation measure, Kostandin Foni, president of the National Association of Urban Transport, previously claimed that the scheme is easily applicable, as it is proposed to be similar to what was implemented in 2022 with the price crisis after the war in Ukraine.
It also guarantees that in addition to the documentation available from operators on fuel purchases and expenses, consumption is also calculated, as it has not changed with the period 2022.
"The scheme is fully applicable, as it is being requested to apply a direct financial compensation mechanism, based on real fuel supply invoices, tax declarations and the verified consumption level according to the licensed activity that has not changed with the consumption of 2022. It is also a previously proven scheme in times of crisis that has worked and reduced the costs of operators.
"If in 2022 the state budget made available a fund worth 500 million lek, 60% of it or about 300 million euros was used for the 6-month compensation. The calculated expenses remain the same. So, a fund of 3 million euros is needed at the disposal of operators even for this crisis," he previously stated for Monitor.
In addition to compensation, as the main measure to reduce costs and avoid service reduction, transport associations also demand a review of the fiscal burden.
Including the abolition of sales tax and excise duty on oil purchased by the sector, as well as the reduction of VAT from 20% to 5%.
After several consecutive letters and a meeting held on April 1, the two main transport associations, the National Association of Urban and Interurban Transport and the National Association of Citizen Transport, have submitted to the Ministry of Economy and Innovation and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy the approval of the package of 4 fiscal measures.
The operators were expecting a response to the submitted requests on April 7, but so far there has been no reaction from the responsible institutions.
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