The postponement of the metro price hike scheduled for May 1, proposed by the new Minister of Transport
The trip by subway from Bucharest was going to become more expensive, starting on May 1, by about 40%. The interim Minister of Transport, Radu Miruță, proposes the postponement of these increases, through a provision to extend the effective date by 60 days.
The increase was requested by the Board of Directors of Metrorex, and the resigned Minister of Transport Ciprian Şerban (PSD) approved it, a day before he resigned.
“Through this Order of the Deputy Prime Minister, the interim Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, it is desired to extend for 60 days the Order of the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure No. 408/2026 for the amendment of the annex to the Order of the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure No. 1,026/2021 regarding the approval of fares for metro travel, published in the Official Gazette (…) of April 24, 2026,” the draft order states which provides for the postponement of subway fare increases. The proposal of the interim Minister of Transport Radu Miruță (USR) was published on the institution's website on Tuesday morning.
Thus, the new tariffs would enter into force on July 1, according to the initiative. The draft ministerial order is in public consultation.
The new leadership of the Ministry of Transport justifies this decision by “the need for Metrorex to assess the effects of the proposed tariff change on the elasticity of demand, the modal distribution of transport within the radius of the Municipality of Bucharest and on the European obligations regarding air quality, as well as the socioeconomic effects on the population”.
Cost reduction plan requested from Metrorex
At the same time, until the end of the 60 days, Metrorex SA will provide a cost reduction plan that “identifies concrete actions, clear milestones and the financial effects of reducing costs for each of the identified actions, a plan that will result in at least a 10% reduction in the cost base and will run for no more than 6 months”.
The proposed level of 7 lei for a journey by subway risks being comparable to the cost of ridesharing services on short distances (1-3 stations) and to the tariff charged by STB on the routes parallel to the integrated subscription, according to the approval report of the minister's order explaining the need to extend the deadline.
The Ministry of Transport asked Metrorex to do a “tariff threshold analysis based on its own validation data (effective distribution by title type and frequency of use), including a demand sensitivity scenario for monthly subscriptions — the title with the highest revenue share (22.5%).”
Also, the company that operates the Bucharest metro will have to do an impact study on air quality in Bucharest to assess whether the increase in fares will force people to choose personal cars or ridesharing services over using underground public transport.
180% growth in five years
The Ministry of Transport indicated a substantial increase in metro travel over the last five years, from 3 lei (August 2021) to 5 lei (January 2025) and the possible increase to 7 lei during 2026, – a total increase of 180%.
“The company Metrorex SA will carry out an impact study of these increases in the context of the real purchasing power of the population, taking into account both the evolution of the average salary and the level of inflation over the entire period. Thus, Metrorex will objectively identify the degree of affordability of the proposed tariff increase and the socio-economic effects at the level of the population”, the report prepared by the Ministry of Transport also states.
The new subway fares that were expected from May 1
Thus, the fare for one trip was to increase, from May 1, from 5 lei to 7 lei, for two trips from 10 lei to 14 lei and for 10 trips from 40 lei to 55 lei.
Also, the 24-hour subscription was going to increase in price to 18 lei, from 12 lei at present, the one for a week to 60 lei, from 45 lei, for a month to 140 lei, from 100 lei, the 6-month subscription will rise to 700 lei, from 500 lei, and the one for a year to 1,300 lei, from 900 lei.
As for the fares for the integrated metropolitan trip (Metrorex-STB), they would have been from the beginning of May: 9 lei for a single ticket for one trip – 120 minutes, 18 lei for a single ticket for two trips, 72 lei for a ticket for 10 trips, 23 lei for a 24-hour pass, 79 lei for a week, 196 lei for a month, 980 lei for six months and 1,770 lei for one year.
