Metrorex's proposal to increase the travel fare from 5 to 7 lei, just one year after the increase from 3 to 5 lei, represents an unprecedented price increase on the Romanian passenger transport market and is not supported by improvements in services, claims economic consultant Adrian Negrescu.
"Metrorex wants to increase the price of a metro ride from 5 to 7 lei. This extremely controversial decision comes just one year after the fare was suddenly increased from 3 to 5 lei. We are talking about a successive price increase without any precedent on the passenger transport market in Romania. All these decisions are happening under the apparently passive gaze of the Ministry of Transport," he wrote on his Facebook page on Monday, after information appeared in the public space according to which the Board of Directors of Metrorex intends to increase the fare from 5 to 7 lei.
In his opinion, a tariff increase of such magnitude should be supported by a solid economic motivation visible in the quality of services.
"However, the reality on the ground is completely different. Travelers face daily congestion, old trains without air conditioning and major delays in the delivery of new trains from public contracts," he added.
Thus, the only explanation for the price increase seems to be covering the salary level within the company, Negrescu believes.
"The revenues obtained strictly from the sale of tickets and subscriptions are totally insufficient to keep the metro moving. In order to function, the company relies year after year on massive subsidies pumped directly from the state budget. These government financial aids frequently exceed the huge threshold of 700 or even 800 million lei," added the economic consultant.
Official budget data from 2025 shows a huge discrepancy in the management of funds, he notes.
"Salaries and bonuses represent the largest category of current expenses. More precisely, personnel expenses have come to represent 37.95% of the total budget. This means a financial effort of approximately 1.05 billion lei directed exclusively to employees," Negrescu also wrote.
According to him, the amount earmarked for salaries is higher than the rest of the operating expenses, which total 1.02 billion lei, i.e. a share of 36.75%.
During this time, the purchase of essential goods and services barely reaches 25.07%. This small percentage includes the payment for the electricity necessary for circulation, spare parts, utilities and daily maintenance of trains, with an allocated budget of only 697 million lei.
"It is outrageous that the Ministry of Transport turns a blind eye to financial slippages, while the interests of passengers remain completely unprotected," the specialist claims.
Because of this chronic lack of vision, Metrorex has become the perfect prototype of a "black hole" company for the national budget, Negrescu emphasized.
"We are dealing with a completely unreformed state entity, which imposes increasingly harsh tariffs for public services of often questionable quality. The lack of managerial performance is simply covered by increasing the price at the turnstiles. Thus, only one legitimate question remains on the lips of hundreds of thousands of Bucharest commuters. When will we witness a real and committed reform within this vital company?", added Adrian Negrescu.
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