Ciprian Ciucu, dissatisfied with the situation of public transport in Bucharest: “Where is the decision? I'm the fool with the money”

The mayor of the capital is unhappy that he has no control over STB and the Intercommunity Development Association for Public Transport Bucharest – Ilfov, the body that manages the public transport service in Bucharest and Ilfov.

In a press conference on Thursday, on the topic of the 2026 budget, Ciprian Ciucu emphasized that although the Capital City Hall pays the subsidy and makes the investments in buses and transport infrastructure, which this year together amount to 2.4 billion lei, the mayor says.

“At the moment, public transport and thermal energy are not with the mayor general. I'm swearing. Mr. Mayor, I don't know what problems the STB has, that it doesn't come on time, that it's not clean, or that 5 buses come at a time, then nothing comes for half an hour. But apart from that, on a symbolic level and allocating a budget, the mayor general in recent years has been deprived of all the relevant powers regarding public transport and heating,” he said Tassel

The mayor says that STB is subordinate to the General Council, and the representatives of the General Council in these companies appoint the Board of Directors which appoints the directors.

“STB is under the General Council. Not under me. The General Council, until I became mayor, and in the last years it was like that, has two representatives in the AGM, whom the majority decides. These two general councilors appoint the Board of Directors at both STB and Termoenergetica, which are seven individuals, about whom you do not know much. This board of directors appoints the directors of STB and Termoenergetica. Not the general mayor”, stated Ciucu.

“Periș City Hall decides where the tram goes in Bucharest”

The mayor says that the City Hall of the Capital also lost its competence as a Guardian Authority, so it no longer has much to say in terms of public transport.

“And I'm confused, not only that the general mayor, and maybe it's normal to be like this, has no say in the management of these two large companies, but the competence of the Public Guardianship Authority was taken away from him. What does that mean? Some intermediate bodies were created with Ilfov County, with localities in Ilfov County, which decide the transport program, for example.”

As a result of these rules, the town halls in the Ilfov area have greater decision-making power than the general mayor.

“Snagov City Hall and Periș City Hall and Domnești City Hall, which do not have trams, decide where the tram goes in Bucharest. We have money. But the actual decision is at ADI TPBI, not at the Transport Directorate of the Capital City Hall. They say how much the kilometer costs, they do the audit, they decide how much money the city hall has to give to STB. I am in the AGM, alone. And I have 40 mayors from Ilfov. Where's the decision? I'm the fool with the money. Or we're all the fools with the money,” Ciucu said.

The mayor also stated that the Capital City Hall pays 90% of the transport from Ilfov, which is not correct.

“This is how it ended up that Bucharest City Hall pays 230 million lei per year, the total cost is 250 million, for transport from Ilfov. It is normal to have transport in Ilfov as well.

It is normal to reduce the traffic from Ilfov, towards Bucharest, by public transport. I agree with this. I don't have any problem. But what to see. We pay 90%, because that's how it was decided. In 4 years it means 1 billion, money with which we can build a hospital. Let's reach a level that is bearable for us too. Let us pay 50% and Ilfov will pay 50% of the subsidy”, said Ciucu.

“Decisions are made politically, not technically”

The mayor also accuses political interference and that lines are drawn between the towns of Ilfov and Bucharest on this principle.

“I wouldn't have anything to do with that either. But the decisions are made politically, not technically. The mayor of X locality calls, I also want more buses, I also want a line to me, I solved my citizens from Corbeanca and they have a free line to Bucharest. Free for them. That is, the data or decisions were not made on the basis of traffic, load, origin-destination matrix studies, but on the phones, at ADI-TPBI. This is the truth”, says Ciucu.

The Mayor General says that it is normal for public transport to be subsidized, as it happens everywhere in the world, but the subsidy is very high, as are STB's expenses.

Audit at STB

At the request of Mayor Ciprian Ciucu, in March, after extensive political negotiations, the General Council approved that the Capital City Hall conduct an audit of STB and Termoenergetica. It remains to be seen what the audit will reveal.

“The STB has the budget of Brașov. And a debt on top of that. The STB must come up with a restructuring plan, because the TESA staff structure is very large in relation to the vatmans, drivers and workers. You care about insolvency. I know that machinations are being made in the STB today. (…) ADI-TPB reached 200 employees. It left with 50 employees 200. (…) If I am a Public Authority As a guardian, I can present a restructuring plan”, Ciucu also said.

Ciucu says that “maybe” he will propose to the General Council to abolish ADI TPBI, and that the City Hall of the Capital become the tutelary authority.

In the 2018-2019 period, former mayor Gabriela Firea and the PSD-ALDE majority in the General Council established 4 Intercommunity Development Associations, structures provided by law for the integrated management of public services at the regional level and for the delegation of contracts to municipal companies without a tender.

The Intercommunity Development Association for Public Transport Bucharest – Ilfov was established by General Council Decision 140/2017.

In the 2018-2019 period, ADI Public Transport Bucharest Ilfov, with the consent of the General Council, delegated the management of the passenger transport service to 3 regional operators: STB, which manages public transport in Bucharest and a good part of the regional lines, the Voluntary Transport Service and STCM Ecotrans for part of the regional lines.

HotNews.ro has written several times about the fact that the Capital City Hall pays 90% of the transport for Ilfov.