Societatea de Transport București issued 796 redundancy notices on Wednesday, November 11, as part of an extensive restructuring plan aimed at rescuing the insolvent public transit operator, according to tvrinfo.ro.
The company entered insolvency with debts totaling 1,6 miliarde de lei, as reported by Euronews România, while overall liabilities exceed 3 miliarde de lei, according to tvrinfo.ro. Mayor Ciprian Ciucu stated on Friday that the financial situation is extremely poor, though he assured the public that operations will remain stable during the proceedings.
“I mean that they assure Bucharesters that public transport will not be affected by this state of insolvency, because public transport will remain within the same parameters that we have at the moment, maybe even improve, due to efficiency,” said Ciprian Ciucu, as reported by HotNews.ro.
The judicial administrator Remus Borza revealed that out of 10,137 total employees at the transport company, 4,876 have family ties, including 1,428 married couples, according to Euronews România.
Borza described the organization as a family business, noting that one single family accounts for 20 employees on the payroll, as reported by Euronews România. The workforce structure also carries 36 distinct salary bonuses, pushing average gross monthly pay to 10,700 lei, according to data cited by AGERPRES.
Eliminating 1,709 positions through restructuring and layoffs
The municipal administration announced that 919 vacant positions were eliminated alongside the 796 active jobs handed preavize on November 11, according to Digi24. Personnel targeted for dismissal include workers facing disciplinary issues, those caught under the influence of alcohol, and individuals investigated for fuel theft or legal infractions, Digi24 reported.
The cuts also removed 44 leadership roles out of 163 previously existing management positions, bringing the total reduction target to 1,709 posts with a medium-term headcount goal of roughly 7,000 workers, according to Digi24.
Further contract changes reduced the number of allowable bonuses from 36 down to 32, which eliminated economically unjustified perks and trimmed departure severance packages from 16 to 20 monthly salaries down to two to four months based on seniority, Digi24 reported. Borza said that employee absenteeism remains exceptionally high, citing 176,000 sick leave days and 321,000 annual leave days accumulated in 2025 alone, costing the company approximately 55 de milioane de lei annually, according to HotNews.ro.
“Everyone gets sick, everyone catches a cold in July and August. Why? So that the next day they can go on buses to some travel agencies. So they work in parallel,” said Remus Borza, as reported by HotNews.ro.
Digitization and garage repairs
To combat internal losses, management is introducing electronic route logs on vehicles to track mileage and fuel consumption accurately, Digi24 reported. Borza estimated that diesel theft alone inflicts a six-million-euro loss on the company annually, according to AGERPRES. Ticket sales networks are expanding through partnerships with Meridian Taxi and Selpay, while 300 parking meters managed by Compania Municipală Parking will begin selling travel titles on December 1, as reported by Digi24.
Internal repair workshops are scaling up their operational capacity to reduce dependence on 21 external private contractors, Digi24 reported. Borza pointed out that despite operating the city’s massive fleet of 1,250 daily vehicles, the company lacks proper authorization from the Romanian Auto Register to handle major engine and transmission overhauls, relying instead on external firms, according to AGERPRES.
Fares and night transit
Proposals to adjust passenger tariffs and curtail specific services remain under discussion between municipal leadership and the judicial consortium. Borza proposed raising the standard bus, tram, and trolleybus ticket price from 3 lei to 5 lei, which he considers a necessary and reasonable adjustment, according to tvrinfo.ro and HotNews.ro.
Mayor Ciucu indicated he would support a fare increase only after substantial restructuring steps are implemented, while the General Council of the Municipality previously rejected a similar tariff hike in January, as reported by tvrinfo.ro.
Additional measures under evaluation include restricting free travel privileges for pensioners whose monthly pensions exceed 3,000 lei, according to tvrinfo.ro. Borza also questioned the economic viability of night transport operations, noting that the network deploys 78 vehicles and 178 drivers working at premium night rates while serving only about 9,000 paying passengers per month out of 100,000 recorded trips, as reported by HotNews.ro.
The municipality said that reorganization proposals regarding night transport schedules are still undergoing analysis and represent no final adopted decision, according to Digi24.