TrafficChaos at Bulgaria‘s Danube Bridge: New Schengen Joiner’s Troubled Debut
Just days after Bulgaria’s integration into the Schengen zone, transport companies are raising alarm about severe disruptions at the Danube Bridge in Ruse. Despite no visible traffic jams, truck drivers are being forced to collect numbered passes from a private parking lot.
Ivo Yordanov, a representative of a transport company, told NOVA, "Why is this necessary? Isn’t the vehicle already free to pass since Bulgaria joined Schengen on January 1? There’s an order from the mayor – all vehicles must register in a virtual queue. But there’s hardly any traffic at the moment."
An investigative report has uncovered an audio recording from January 1, 2025, where an employee of a private parking company threatens to involve the police in the case of a truck driver refusing to take a pass.
The Ministry of Transport has stated that it lacks jurisdiction over traffic organization and referred the matter to Ruse Municipality. The ministry noted, "The Tir Parking in Ruse is within the urban territory of the city and is managed by the municipality. The Law on Roads regulates that traffic organization within populated areas is the responsibility of the respective municipality."
Yordanov added, "I checked with the Traffic Administration, but they were clueless about the issue. On Thursday, I spoke with the border police in Ruse, and they told me they had nothing to do with whether someone is in or out of the zone."
Ruse Municipal Administration has promised to comment on the situation by Monday.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates.
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