Why does public transport in Bucharest cost “twice as much as during Firea's time?”. STB, threatened with a radical decision

The general mayor of the Capital, Ciprian Ciucu, announced that he will order an audit of the Bucharest Transport Company, and if he does not “get along” with STB and “what is happening there”, the solution he will adopt will be insolvency.

“Right now at STB there is a competition for the Board of Directors. It is started before I come as mayor. It is ongoing. CVs have been submitted. The Board of Directors will appoint the director. The mayor (general no) is parked somewhere on the left in this decision. I am also curious who will be director. I hope that the competition is at least for real. I want to have a partner there at STB. First and foremost, the cost of operation has increased a lot and I want to see why. Why does the public transport service in Bucharest cost twice as much as during (Gabriela's) time? We give 150 million lei for their lines. They are contracts that are perhaps strange,” said Ciprian Ciucu, according to Agerpres.

The mayor believes that the declaration of insolvency of STB SA can represent a solution for solving the company's problems.

“I don't want to tell you nonsense. But I'm going to order an audit there and how to tell you (…) when the knife reaches your bone, stop optimizing, discuss, negotiate. Either white or black. Let it be very, very clear. I mean, if they imagine the parties in the General Council – and they don't imagine that they are already realistic and they also know what the situation is – that sir, that we're negotiating, that… No. You don't have from where? The alternative, and I'm going to get along with STB, is to be very, very clear. I think they get along much better with the syndic judge,” said the mayor of the capital.

Ciucu stated, on Tuesday, that it is imperative that the Bucharest City Hall (PMB) receives 70% of the city's budget (broken down quotas), in order to avoid bankruptcy.

He mentioned, in a post on Facebook, that he will propose, in March, a package of reforms, but these will not be enough to cover the debts generated by the subsidies granted to STB and Termoenergetica. Ciucu appealed to the parties in the coalition, as well as to the support of President Nicușor Dan and Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, for the implementation of the necessary structural reforms.

According to the mayor, for the operation in January, PMB received 317 million lei, while in January 2022, the city hall received 358 million lei, in January 2023 488 million lei were allocated, in January 2024 – 551 million lei, and in January 2025 – 400 million lei.

According to Ciucu, of the 317 million lei, the largest amount is allocated for STB – 90 million “for the payment of salaries, operation and payment of the installment at ANAF”, and 10 million are for public transport in Ilfov.

The mayor also detailed the situation of accumulated debts: 590 million lei at Termoenergetica, 700 million lei at STB and 21 million lei for public transport in Ilfov.

“Only for the current month (those from STB, no) asked us 163 million for the public transport service. I don't know how they will manage, but the salaries will be paid. Not the contributions to ANAF for these salaries, and that amount will go into the huge lump that we keep rolling and which is growing. (…) It seems absurd to me that PMB pays about 150 million per year for the transport from Ilfov, but this is a topic that I will come back to after I get ready with all the mobility policy 'thought' and applied at this moment”, said mayor Ciucu.