Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev sent a letter to the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria concerning free travel on public transport for children under the age of 14.
The letter follows a growing number of cases in which, due to technical incompatibility between the fare control systems used in different municipalities, the validity of an electronic travel card issued in another municipality cannot be verified.
In his letter, Minister Peev asked the Association to inform the local authorities that they are required to comply with the existing provision requiring travel cards to also be issued in paper form. Paper travel cards can be visually checked by an inspector anywhere in the country, regardless of the fare control system used by the respective transport operator.
Approximately 900,000 children in Bulgaria are entitled to a free travel card. More than 172,000 such cards are issued annually.
The Executive Agency “Automobile Administration” has already issued a number of instructions to various municipalities in 2026 in connection with identified problems concerning the use of travel cards outside the locality in which they were issued.