The new access cards for the Bucharest subway are already printed and will go on sale "within two weeks," Marin Aldea, the general director of the capital’s subway operator Metrorex, said, quoted by Mediafax.

The new access cards are required after Metrorex replaced its old turnstiles with a swing gates system, designed to work with contactless cards. The subway operator had previously said a new design for the cards would be available once the modernization process is finished. This happened towards the end of September.

The new cards include options not available this far, such as a one-trip card, a group card for 3 to 5 travelers or a yearly pass.

"We have done a series of tests to see if the cards work and we got positive results. […] I think they will be introduced within at most two weeks. The project was signed, it was sent through the circuit to be published in the Official Monitor, and, within five days of the publication, the cards go on sale. We already distributed the cards, they are at the cash offices. We are ready," Aldea said.

A group card for three people will cost RON 5 (a little over EUR 1). The two-trip card will have the same RON 5 price. A four-people card will cost RON 6.5 (EUR 1.4), and a five-people card RON 8 (EUR 1.75).

“We had in mind families, tourists visiting Bucharest… The most advantageous [e.n. option] for regular commuters is the yearly pass. If we calculate, they will benefit from free transport for one month and a half if they purchase this yearly pass, which costs RON 720 (almost EUR 158),” the Metrorex director explained.

He also said no tariff increases are foreseen in the near future.

Bucharest mayor, Gabriela Firea, announced this summer plans for a single ticket for the state-owned companies such as RATB, Metrorex, and CFR.

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editor@romania-insider.com