Interurban fares won't change without a methodology, Minister

The Ministry of Transportation and Roads says that it will not consider the carriers' demands for higher interurban fares without adopting a methodology to calculate tariffs, for which, however, it doesn't have money. Minister Anatol Salaru told Thursday's meeting of the National Commission for Collective Negotiations that the Ministry intended to ask the Economy and Finance Institute to develop the methodology. “We have estimated that we need 300,000 lei for this, including 190,000 lei in salaries to 5 experts who will work on it. But the Ministry doesn't have this money”. He stated that the Ministry had regard for the carriers' requests, but the increase in fares should be justified. “People are affected by each price hike. We can't order an increase in fares based solely on a request made by the carriers”, argued Salaru. Eugen Datco, the executive director of the National Carriers' Union, was incensed by the Minister's position. “The carriers are operating at a loss, especially when drivers rent the vehicles. Thus they are forced to engage in unlawful practices. We are ready for any kind of expertise, but first raise the fairs by those 10% we had so foolishly accepted to reduce them, and then by 10% after several months”, requested Eugen Datco. He further maintained that the carriers have worked at a loss in the last 2 months and accumulated huge debts with companies selling fuel. Deputy Prime Minister Mihai Moldovanu, who chairs the National Commission for Collective Negotiations, confirmed that without a new methodology no decisions concerning interurban fares could be made. The last increase in interurban fares took place in 2009.