Political interests are again higher than the good of the people. The rules and examples of success in European countries seem to be only words that pass by the ears of senators and deputies, ministers and authorities, who have the power to change something for the better in us as well.

Over the past 30 years, I have experienced all the stages that Romania has gone through on the way to democracy, modernity and adaptation to the evolution of technology. I have heard thousands and thousands of promises of real reforms. When the time really came to implement certain measures and make changes, the situation either suddenly became complicated, or some groups and small groups appeared, which with their power of persuasion blocked the actions that would generate changes.

I made this introduction to put my finger back on the wound. Changes are needed now, and they will not happen by themselves. People can bring good, but some people in the political sphere also have their own interests, and their good is above the common good.

The opening of the interstate market in passenger transportation is a topic of interest to passengers, to a competitive market, but of no interest to those interested in the expansion of existing monopolies.

In the Romanian Parliament these days we have to make an important decision regarding the new legislation on passenger transport by buses and minibuses. The law needed to be amended a long time ago, many years have passed, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all licensing and authorization rules and regulations have been expanded.

The time for change has come

The time has come! The extension is coming to an end and parliamentarians must decide what to do in a context where the Competition Council has also called for major changes to inter-county law in every report since 2019. The Council says that the performance requires a competition. And the fleet of buses and minibuses not older than 9 years should be a priority established by law.

How are things now? If we look at the streets now, we will see that more than 70% of our buses and minibuses are over ten years old. In addition, many transport companies are more interested in profits than in the conditions offered. Dirty, broken and polluting cars arrive at the station. why Because routes are usually covered by one operator.

The law is only in the eyes of the world

Even as you read this opinion of mine, a new transport law is being debated in parliament. But is the debate genuine and based on arguments?

There is a law created just to see if the subject has been discussed. In reality, the project wants to block the current situation for at least another 3 years, and the age of cars in circulation can reach 12 years. This first mention in the law removes the pressure to invest in new and clean cars.

Also, operators who have route licenses according to the old traffic schedule will be able to apply for an extension of licenses with a break of 1 hour for transport companies who wish to work according to a similar structure of hours. In a context where there is only one transport operator in many cities, assuming a large time gap, the current monopoly will be practically extended due to the impossibility of other operators entering the market.

I have been managing an international transport company for many years and find the current transport legislation in Romania to be completely anti-competitive, hindering both market development and cost-effective transport. The proposal in parliament also limits the access of all operatorsfor transport services that could pick up passengers between stations on the territory of Romania when they have international flights. In general, a passenger can travel by bus from Bucharest to Vienna, but cannot travel by the same bus from Bucharest to Brasov.

Last week, the transport committee of the parliament, the most relevant in the industry, discussed the possibility of making some changes to the law that would leave the door open for the liberalization of the transport market, even in stages.

Although there were several views on the need to have an open passenger market, the final vote was to reject any amendment that would have opened the market for the next 3 years, leaving the market locked up again.

Everything old and everything new!

We don’t want a vehicle adapted to the times, because modernization is an investment and therefore lower returns for the owners. Competition can put a lot of pressure on some companies that would rather maintain their monopoly than adapt their services to the needs of travelers.

From my experience as a transport entrepreneur and someone who has seen the evolution of such initiatives in other countries, I can clearly say that opening up the transport market can improve services, which in turn will attract more travel

Local tourism will also benefit from better connectivity. On the other hand, bus transport services allow people with limited economic opportunities and residents of remote areas to travel. Read the entire article and comment on contributors.ro