The minibuses running on route No. 109, 113, and 169 in Chisinau partially resumed work. Only the drivers of route No. 191 continue the strike. In the morning of August 16, the given route’s administrator Ion Mamaliga, who heads the Private Carriers Association, had a meeting with the acting head of the General Public Transport and Communications Division Igor Gamretski, but they were unable to reach a compromise.

Contacted by IPN, Igor Gamretski said the strike staged by the drivers of minibus route No. 191 is illegal and if the strike goes on today, the route’s administrator risks remaining without license. If the license is withdrawn, it will be immediately transferred to another applicant economic entity. “There are dozens of persons asking for a job from the Division and it would not be a problem to identify a new administrator,” he stated. He added that minibus route No. 178 works normally and the people already started to express their contentment with having convenient transport.

According to Igor Gamretski, the problems faced by the passengers who cannot reach the destination owing to the lack of minibuses No. 191 will be solved today.

In the evening of August 15, the administrator of route No. 191 Ion Mamaliga told IPN that the about 140 minibuses running on routes No. 113, 109, 191, 169 and 163 will not work until the mayor general of Chisinau annuls the order to extend the itinerary of minibus route No.178. According to Ion Mamaliga, the itinerary of minibus route No. 178 overlaps 70-80% with the itinerary of routes No. 113, 109, 191, 169 and 163.

Ion Mamaliga said minibus drivers’ actions do not qualify as strike, while Igor Gamretski insists that this is an illegal strike as it wasn’t announced beforehand.

Meanwhile, passengers posted comments on the IPN’s website. They said the Chisinau City Hall’s decision to extend the itinerary of route No.178 is right and the administrators of routes No.191 and 113 should comply as their minibuses are always crowded. “The people have to travel tightly packed like sardines because somebody wants to fill their pockets up,” said a passenger. Another passenger said the administrator of route No. 191 will not want to travel daily like the herrings in cans as he has a car and does not care how the passengers travel.