Municipal authorities in Bulgarian capital Sofia have announced 2 bus lines to nearby Vitosha Mountain, after it was announced lifts and gondolas on Vitosha will not operate for the winter.

The 66 bus line is operating from the Hladilnika bus stop and goes through Dragalevtsi to the Moreni Hotel in the Aleko Resort on Vitosha.

The 266 bus line starts from the first stop of the gondola in Simeonovo and again climbs up to the Aleko Resort.

Both bus lines will operate only on weekends. The 266 bus will run 8am-5pm, when there are persons to be transported. The first 66 bus will leave Hladilnika at 7.50 am, while the last will leave Aleko at 6 pm.

The one way fare for the buses will cost BGN 4, with the round trip at BGN 6.

In December, the Vitoska Ski company, which owns and runs lifts and gondolas on the mountain, announced it will not turn them on and will hold no ski season this year.

The reason given was that the state allegedly obstructed the company's work by not allowing it permits to expand its facilities in the mountain, which is a protected area.

Environmentalists have argued that Vitosha Ski is trying to blackmail the state and have protested against swiftly drafted amendments to Bulgaria's Law on Forests, which would make such construction easier.

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