Bucharest metro operator Metrorex has resumed talks with RATB – the company that manages the above ground public transportation in Romania's capital on reintroducing the joint metro and bus/tram tickets.

“At first, we think of resuming the collaboration with RATB. We’ve already created two committees – a technical one, and a commercial one. There have been several meetings in which the talks focused on the technicalities of the possibility that both Metrorex and RATB issue tickets,” Metrorex general manager Marin Aldea said in an interview for local Agerpres.

This collaboration is to be implemented once the new subway access control system is completed.

The joint tickets were previously introduced in Bucharest in 2012, based on a partnership between Metrorex and RATB. However, the collaboration contract between the two companies ended in March 2014.

In the interview for Agerpres, the Metrorex general manager also said that the Bucharest subway carried 179.1 million people last year, namely some 5 million more than in 2015. Moreover, the company expects the number to go up by 2 million this year.

Aldea also said that Metrorex doesn’t plan to increase the tickets’ prices this year, but plans to add new types of subscriptions. For example, the company is currently testing the possibility of introducing the annual travel subscription, as well as multi-journey subscriptions for groups. Metrorex currently sells cards with two trips for RON 5 (EUR 1.11), 10-journey cards for RON 20 (EUR 4.45), one-day subscriptions for RON 8 (EUR 1.78), and monthly subscriptions for RON 70 (EUR 15.56).

The Bucharest subway is currently running at full capacity and during rush hours the underground stations are very crowded and passengers often have to wait for two or three trains to pass before they can get into one.

Bucharest subway will be accessible by contactless card

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com