The actual cost of a subway journey is 14 lei, without the subsidy provided by Metrorex, claims the head of the subway workers’ union

The actual cost of transporting a passenger by metro amounts to approximately 14 lei, but the state subsidy reduces the official price to around 5 lei, while pass holders effectively pay approximately 2.3 lei, said Marian Artimon, president of the Free Trade Union Unit of the Metro (USLM).

The union leader argued that raising the fare from 5 to 7 lei, later canceled, would not have been sufficient to increase Metrorex employees’ salaries. According to him, the price increase was necessary to ensure the company’s liquidity, given that the state should have paid compensation of 1.270 billion lei but transferred only 740 million lei. Approximately 120 million lei remained available from revenues.

Artimon stated that the increase was supposed to take effect on January 1, 2026, but the Board of Directors did not have enough votes to adopt the decision. The unionists subsequently convinced former Transport Minister Ciprian Șerban that the higher fare would have ensured cash flow for Metrorex.

On June 19, interim minister Radu Miruță canceled the order regarding the price increase. USLM had previously stated that the increase had been agreed upon by the Bolojan Government because the allocated compensation covered only 65% of the company’s needs.