Varna switches to automated ticket sales for public transport

From January 1, tickets will be sold at machines, instead by conductors

From the beginning of the new year Varna, the so-called “sea capital of Bulgaria” will be introducing a new, safer and smarter system for buying tickets for public transport. The city announced on Thursday that tickets will now be sold by vending machines at bus stops or in the vehicle, and not by conductors, as has been the case so far.

In addition, the purchased transport documents will be valid for a specific period, and if you prepay for several, bonuses will accumulate.

Varna modernizes public transport ticketing

From 1 January, cards and public transport tickets will be purchased from vending machines located at bus stops or in the vehicle. Tickets will be valid for 60, 90 or 120 minutes after purchase, and must be validated at each transfer by placing them in the validator.

The prices will be BGN 1 (0.5 EUR), BGN 1.50 and BGN 1.80 for the longest period, respectively. It is also possible to purchase a full-day ticket for an unlimited number of trips, worth BGN 4.

The validity will be for the entire public transport network in Varna, as well as the suburban bus lines, specified the Municipality.

Prepaid cards can be purchased only from the machines at the stops, and bonuses are also previewed: when recharging BGN 10, the passenger receives another BGN 1 bonus or a 60-minute free travel. The control over the regularity of the passengers is performed by controllers through special devices, which check the term of validity of the transport document.

Passengers enjoying the right to preferential prices, as well as citizens who prefer a subscription service, will continue to receive and use their cards as before.

To compare the scale of the change that Varna is introducing, in Sofia passengers still use a different ticket for metro and ground transport, and for the latter they have to buy a new ticket for each route taken. There are no bonuses for several purchased tickets, and the validation in trams, trolleys and buses is done by perforation.