site.btaTemporary Public Transport Green Ticket, Buffer Parking Remain in Effect in Sofia on Monday

The temporary public transport green ticket, worth BGN 1, as well as free buffer parking, will be available on Monday, January 20, for preventative purposes due to air pollution, Sofia Municipality said. 

The measure is due to the forecast for fog formation in the morning hours in the valleys, which accumulate atmospheric pollutants in the low ground layers. The green ticket and free buffer parking were also in effect on Sunday, January 19.

The measure is being introduced for the second time this year for forecast data and is in fulfillment of the Sofia Municipality's commitment to take preventive actions, the municipality's press centre added. The previous green ticket days in Sofia were on January 9 and 10.

The green ticket is worth BGN 1 and is valid for the whole day, the municipality recalled. It can be purchased by vehicle drivers, with bank card validation, online through the portal of the Sofia Urban Mobility Centre or from the city's cash desks, both on paper or as an electronic ticket loaded onto a card.

The green ticket will not be valid for night-time urban transport, the municipality added.

The Sofia Municipality calls on citizens to leave their cars on Sunday and Monday and use public transport, as well as to follow the recommendations of health specialists.

Messages have also been sent to all schools and kindergartens with a recommendation to limit children's stay outdoors on Monday.

Additional street washing is a measure that is also applied when air pollution levels are exceeded, but only in appropriate weather conditions, in order to avoid dangerous icing. Since January 1, over 300 inspections of various sites, sources of air pollution in Sofia, have been carried out, the municipality's press center noted.