Bucharest transit operator STB cuts 796 jobs and proposes fare rise from 3 to 5 lei

Dismissal notices and job cuts

The Societatea de Transport București (STB), which is under insolvency proceedings, issued 796 dismissal notices on 11 November 2026, according to Remus Borza, who represents the consortium of judicial administrators (Euro Insol, Ceres Insolv and Turmac Insolvency). The company also plans to abolish 919 vacant posts. After the reorganisation, 8,428 positions would remain, compared with 10,137 when the insolvency procedure began. Among the staff affected are 120 bus and trolleybus drivers and 50 vatmani. Borza said the cuts would not reduce the timetable of public transport in the capital. Reported severance payments range from 20,000 to 40,000 lei, depending on length of service.

Start of insolvency procedure10,137

After reorganisation8,428

Start of insolvency procedure

10137 positions

After reorganisation

8428 positions

Data from the article text

“Without optimising labour costs, which now demand a financial effort of 1.2 billion lei a year and make up 70% of total revenue, STB risks bankruptcy.”

Fare and pensioner changes

The restructuring plan would raise the single fare from 3 to 5 lei and the monthly subscription from 80 to 100 lei. Any fare increase must be approved by the Bucharest General Municipal Council (CGMB). Pensioners whose pensions exceed 3,000 lei a month would lose free travel, while those below that threshold keep it. Free travel would also end for pensioners' companions and for employees of municipal companies. The administrator estimates these changes could bring in about 138 million lei a year. Night service would be dropped except for express line 100, which links Otopeni airport with Piața Unirii. Night service currently runs 78 buses and trolleybuses with 175 drivers and records roughly 9,000 validations a month.

Mayor's response and the finances

Bucharest mayor Ciprian Ciucu held a press conference on 13 November at the municipality headquarters. He said he would agree to a fare increase only after a significant restructuring begins. Borza argued that 5 lei is more than reasonable and noted that a ride in Cluj-Napoca costs 7 lei. The council had already rejected an earlier request to raise public transport fares in January. The figures presented show a loss of 765 million lei over ten months and negative net cash of 67 million lei, against debts above 3 billion lei. A G4Media report on the administrator's findings puts salaries at 80% of revenue and says STB had spent 1.01 billion lei on wages by 30 October. The same report counts 10,137 employees, of whom 4,876 have kinship ties with other staff.

Company and next steps

STB has said it will raise vehicle frequency in traffic, particularly at peak hours, and shorten waiting times at stops. In its own words:

“Through the measures we are implementing, we will increase the frequency of vehicles in traffic, especially at peak hours, and reduce waiting times at stops.”

The fare and pensioner changes take effect only if the Bucharest General Municipal Council approves them, so they remain proposals for now. Borza has argued that the fare rise is needed to fund better service, while experts quoted in the reporting urge that fare increases be a last resort after cost optimisation.