Metrorex: A subway trip actually costs 14 lei / How much those with a pass really pay

The actual cost of a metro journey is approximately 14 lei, while the fare paid by passengers is reduced through the subsidy granted to Metrorex, Marian Artimon, president of the Free Trade Union Unit of the Metro (USLM), said at a press conference.

According to the union leader, the state compensation reduces the calculated cost of a journey to around 5 lei, while a passenger using a travel pass effectively pays approximately 2.3 lei per journey.

Artimon specified that subsidizing public transport is also a practice found in European cities such as Brussels, Paris, and Vienna.

The fare increase from 5 to 7 lei, scheduled for January 1, 2026, was canceled on June 19 by interim Transport Minister Radu Miruță. Artimon claims that the price increase would not have led to salary increases, but would have provided liquidity for the company, given that Metrorex would have received only 740 million lei from the compensation estimated at 1.270 billion lei.

USLM had previously announced that the increase had been agreed upon by the Bolojan Government because the subsidy covered approximately 65% of Metrorex's needs.