At a press conference, Belgrade Mayor Aleksandar Šapić announced a new package of social measures of the city administration, which includes public transportation.
Šapić initially boasted about cheaper public transportation and the large investments in public transportation that were made during his administration.
He added that no one before him wanted to deal with this problem.
After that, Šapić announced that from January 1, 2025, all public transportation in Belgrade will be completely free.
“No one will have to pay for travel anymore, there will be no monthly or annual passes, no discounts.” “Thanks to this social measure, Belgrade will become the only city in Europe with a population of more than half a million people where public transport will be free,” he emphasized.
He added that this measure complements the package of social measures that we have already adopted, including free kindergartens for all children in Belgrade.
“Since we introduced the measure of subsidizing private kindergartens in the amount of 33,000 dinars, 3,000 more children have enrolled in kindergartens,” Šapić said.
He reminded that it takes about 60-80 million dollars a year.
As a third measure, he also recalled the need to provide students with family assistance.
“Last year we introduced brand new textbooks to all classes,” he said.
He also recalled measures to provide free access to all city swimming pools, as well as New Year’s gift certificates to all preschool and school children and employees of educational institutions.
He also added free English for preschoolers, noting that it is late, but it is expected to be available by the New Year, and that there will be double trimesters in the second semester.
“No city of Belgrade’s size has such a set of activities,” he said. “That’s why we are the most socially responsible city administration that has run the city in the last 50 years,” emphasized Šapić.
As he added, everyone says that it is not free, because it is financed from the budget.
“It’s not free, but you don’t have to pay twice anymore. Because, according to this logic, citizens paid taxes once and then paid it all a second time. “It depends on who runs the city administration,” the mayor said.
In addition to free transportation, Shapych also announced a public transportation reform.
He emphasized that the biggest public transportation reform since at least the Second World War is underway.
“In the next three years, we will completely renew the entire fleet, which includes all buses, all trams, and all trolleybuses.” By the end of 2025, there will be no buses older than two years on the streets. “The blue buses are coming, 40 have already arrived, 50 more are coming, and they will continue to arrive throughout the next year,” Shapych said.
He added that this applies to both private and public transportation.
“For the first time, private individuals had to buy new vehicles for the streets of Belgrade. They have never had such an obligation before, but they have been using public transportation for more than 30 years,” he emphasized.
According to him, new trams should arrive by 2026, and all 100 new trolleybuses and other trams should be purchased by the end of 2027.
Infrastructure projects
He also said that the reconstruction and expansion of Belgrade’s streets and boulevards would continue.
“Over the past 10 years, 250,000 new vehicles have entered the country, as well as vehicles belonging to tourists and foreigners, the number of which we do not know.” “So far, we have not reached the subway as the main mode of transportation to reduce and slow down the process of traffic congestion,” Shapich said.
He reminded that over the past two years, more than 500 streets have been reconstructed, repaired and renovated.
“The intensity of work in the coming period will be the highest in the last 30 years.” “Thanks to Expo, which is the engine, by the end of this mandate, Belgrade will undergo qualitative changes in all respects, the most extensive in the last 20 years,” Šapić emphasized.
He particularly noted the work on a new bridge and tunnel that will run past the Faculty of Economics to Despot Stefan Boulevard.
“By the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027, we should have a serious, passable bridge,” Šapić said.
Source: https://www.danas.rs/vesti/ekonomija/javni-prevoz-aleksadnar-sapic-besplatana-prevoz/
