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Photo: Stella Ivanova
Taxi drivers in Sofia are once again calling for higher fares, submitting an official request to the Sofia Municipality to adjust the current prices of taxi services in the capital. So far, however, the industry has not received a response.
According to Krasimir Tsvetkov, chairman of the National Taxi Union, the proposal should be reviewed by October 31. “We hope the municipality will consider our request within the legal timeframe,” he told BNR. “Our calculations show that the various cost components for the service have increased between 20% and 600%. On average, we are proposing a rate of around 1.74 leva per kilometer for daytime fares and about 2 leva for nighttime fares. These are the figures included in our submission,” Tsvetkov explained.
He argued that the taxi sector has solid economic grounds for seeking an update. The Road Transport Act and the Taxi Regulation require municipal councils to set minimum and maximum fares for each locality and to revise them at least once a year. “Many municipalities, including Sofia, have not fulfilled this legal obligation. Prices in the capital have remained unchanged since 2022,” Tsvetkov pointed out. “For three consecutive years, we have filed requests, yet the Municipal Council takes no action. This failure to update fares is a direct violation of the law.”
The request comes amid additional regulatory changes in the industry. The Ministry of Transport recently extended the deadline for taxi companies to update their taxi meters until October 30, 2025. The extension was granted because operators were not ready by the initial deadline of August 8 to reconfigure all devices so that receipts display prices in both leva and euros, as required in preparation for Bulgaria’s upcoming euro adoption.
Taxi drivers say that the combination of rising operating costs and delayed municipal adjustments has placed serious financial pressure on their work. They insist that without a timely revision of fares, providing quality and safe services in Sofia will become increasingly difficult.
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