The residents of the village of Trud and the surrounding settlements have been requesting for years a convenient and regular transport connection to the neighbouring city of Plovdiv. The daily commute of workers, students and the elderly is severely hampered by the lack of a regular direct line to key stops in the city.
In response to this long-standing request, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, together with the Municipality of Maritsa, the Municipality of Plovdiv, the Mayor of the village of Trud, the Regional Administration of Plovdiv and the Member of Parliament Tsveta Karayancheva, have taken concrete actions to launch a new bus line, part of Plovdiv’s regional transport scheme, from the village of Trud to the Central Railway Station of Plovdiv. The line will follow the route of line No. 1 of Plovdiv’s public transport, and the necessary number of stops will be determined to meet the needs of the locals.
“People in the Trud region have been waiting for this solution for a long time and it is completely fair. Our goal is to ensure that their daily commute to Plovdiv will be convenient, regular and accessible. The Ministry will assist all institutions so that the new bus line can become a fact as soon as possible,” stated the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadzhov.
At a meeting last week, organized by Deputy Prime Minister Grozdan Karadzhov, a concrete action plan was developed that will lead to a sustainable solution to the problem. The mayors of Plovdiv Municipality – Kostadin Dimitrov, Maritsa Municipality – Dimitar Ivanov, the village of Trud – Spas Staykov, the Regional Governor of Plovdiv – Prof. Hristina Yancheva, Member of Parliament Tsveta Karayancheva and representatives of the municipal administrations.
The action plan includes the following specific measures and steps:
The first step in launching the new line is for the Mayor of Maritsa Municipality to coordinate with the Mayor of Plovdiv, a draft route schedule, a route diagram, as well as an analysis of the passenger flow.
The second step is for the mayor of the Municipality of Maritsa to submit a motivated proposal to the regional administration of Plovdiv with the already agreed route schedule, route scheme, as well as an analysis of the passenger flow.
The third step is for the Regional Governor to convene a meeting of the commission to review the proposal and approve it.
The fourth step is for the Municipality of Maritsa to conduct a procedure to select a carrier.
The fifth step, which will be implemented in parallel with the above four, is for the Executive Agency “Automobile Administration” to prepare an amendment to the Road Transport Act, which will remove the requirement for municipalities whose administrative centre is located in a neighbouring municipality to use bus stations for interurban bus lines. Such municipalities include Rodopi, Dobrichka, Tundzha and Maritsa. The proposal will be submitted to the National Assembly by the Memeber of Parliament Tsveta Karayancheva.
The deadline for launching the new line and permanently solving this problem is 100 days.