The era of free tickets, cheap transportation, and comfortable rides on trams and buses seems to have come to an end. According to the portal vecernji.hr, Zagreb Holding has established a rescue team for ZET – as the threat of bankruptcy becomes increasingly real.
Through the contract for the provision of communal services and the co-financing of passenger transport in public transport, which was concluded between the Holding and the City, the City of Zagreb guaranteed the stability of ticket prices as well as free tickets for schoolchildren, students, and pensioners. However, ZET currently lacks 25 million kuna monthly to cover regular operating costs, and with a reduction in subsidies of 95 million kuna, the monthly deficit rises to 44 million kuna. Due to the reduction in subsidies, ZET’s revenues will fall. Thus, instead of the planned loss of 163 million kuna by the end of the year, it will record a deficit of at least 260 million kuna. To save the largest subsidiary from collapse, the Holding has established a team to develop a proposal for a new fare system for public transport.
In September, the proposals from experts will be submitted for consideration to the relevant city services, which will forward them to the City Assembly. That the subsidiary is on the brink of collapse is evidenced by the following data. According to the portal vecernji.hr, the management of ZG Holding sent a warning letter to Mayor Bandić, informing him that ZET would not be able to survive in this manner, which is also a kind of threat to shut down public transport. By the end of the year, ZET’s claims against the City will rise to just under 900 million kuna. It is very likely that some ‘social groups’ will be left without free tickets if ZET fails to secure funding for subsidies from other sources. (www.vecernji.hr)
