The Tirana municipality will fine and strip public transport companies of their licenses if they refuse to begin operations on Monday, July 6.
Deputy mayor Arbjan Mazniku told ReportTV that public transport in Tirana must start working again on Monday and companies that start operations “will be penalized in accordance to the law.”
Mazniku claimed that the municipality has provided certain concessions to transport companies to facilitate their return to work, but operators continue opposing safety protocols. According to him, the municipal council voted to waive some taxes for transport companies, and public transport staff were awarded “war wages,” that is, direct financial support, by the government.
Public transport was scheduled to begin again on June 15, at a 70% capacity and in accordance with the coronavirus safety protocols provided by the Ministry of Health, which consisted in every traveler wearing a mandatory face mask and passengers being seated diagonally 1.5 meters away from each other.
Transport companies opposed these measures, claiming that they would lead to buses working at only 25% of their capacity. According to them, this would lead to bankruptcy.
Since June 15, public transport associations have held several protests against restarting operations while observing the safety measures imposed by the government.
