The "Blue Zone" paid parking system in Varna resumed operation this morning after being temporarily unavailable.

Yesterday, many residents reported issues with paying for parking. Attempts to send SMS payments were unsuccessful, with users receiving automatic replies stating, “Your SMS cannot be processed. Please try again.” Additionally, the mobile application was inaccessible for a full 24 hours, causing further inconvenience.

Varna’s mayor addressed the situation on social media, explaining that the disruption was due to the system undergoing modernization. He assured citizens that no fines would be issued during the period when the "Blue Zone" system was not functioning.

In addition, Dobromir Arnaudov, the director of the Municipal Enterprise "Municipal Parking and Blue Zone," assured that the "Blue Zone" in Varna will continue to operate, despite concerns raised following a letter from the company managing the zone. The letter, sent on December 9, noted that the company's contract with the local administration had expired on November 29, 2023.

The letter, which was obtained by OFFNews, stated that since the contract’s expiration, the company had not received any payment for its services. Additionally, the public procurement process initiated by Varna’s municipal leadership in July was suspended in mid-August. As a result, the company warned that it would cease providing services for the "Blue Zone" on December 16.

However, Arnaudov clarified that the letter did not state that the "Blue Zone" would stop functioning. Instead, it indicated that the company would no longer respond to "additional requests from any character" starting December 16. According to Arnaudov, this is a common practice for IT companies in the private sector, where they typically handle specific tasks on request.

Arnaudov further emphasized that the "Blue Zone" system is a proven, functioning service that does not require any upgrades under the current contract. Therefore, Varna Municipality does not plan to make any requests related to the software provision for the "Blue Zone" until a new service provider is chosen. A public procurement procedure for this purpose is already underway.

Additionally, a separate procurement procedure for parking payments has been initiated. On November 27, Varna Municipality launched an open procedure for "Software provision of a unified method and model for generating, collecting, processing, and reporting electronic requests for payment and use of parking services in Varna." The deadline for submitting offers is December 27.

Sources:

• Bulgarian National Television (BNT)
• OFFNews