Public transport operators are warning that they will reduce their fleet from September 1 due to high operating costs and the failure to provide fuel compensation. The associations are calling for urgent intervention by the institutions.
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From September 1, public transport operators in Tirana will be forced to operate with a fleet reduced by approximately 20–30%, depending on the financial and operational capacity currently available to each operator.
The decision follows operators’ repeated demands to extend the fuel compensation period by at least three months, as the costs of operating a full fleet have become unaffordable.
In a letter sent to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, and the Municipality of Tirana, the National Urban Transport Association and the Urban and Interurban Transport Association stressed that the reduction is neither a choice made by the operators nor a lack of willingness to guarantee normal public transport services. According to the transport associations, it is a direct consequence of their financial inability to cover the costs of operating a full fleet, particularly fuel costs, which represent one of the main expenses of the business.
The transport associations also stressed that reducing the number of vehicles in service is inevitably expected to lead to a lower service frequency, longer intervals between vehicles, overcrowding on the vehicles that remain in service, and difficulties for citizens who use public transport every day.
“Under these circumstances, we ask the responsible institutions to intervene urgently, provide a concrete response to the requests submitted by the operators, and enable the payment of the compensation envisaged for fuel costs, as well as the continuation of support for the period ahead. The operators have made and continue to make every effort to ensure the continuity of the service, but under the current financial conditions, operating 100% of the fleet is no longer affordable. In light of the above, we request that this situation be addressed as a matter of priority and urgency, with the aim of preventing any further deterioration of public transport services and restoring full operational capacity as soon as possible,” their letter states.
Since May, public transport associations have continued to reiterate their concerns about their inability to cover the costs resulting from the increase in diesel prices and about the length of the period during which they can receive compensation of 50 lek per liter for diesel.
During August alone, the National Urban Transport Association repeated its request twice, stating that operating costs remain unaffordable and that this would soon lead to a reduction in the number of vehicles available for transporting citizens.
Despite the repeated requests and communications addressed to the responsible institutions regarding compensation for fuel costs, operators continue to face the non-payment of the compensation, while no institutional response or concrete solution has yet been provided for some of the requests and problems raised.
This situation, combined with the high cost of fuel and the other necessary expenses required to operate the business, has significantly strained the operators’ financial liquidity and their ability to cover the daily operating costs of their entire fleet of vehicles./Monitor
