Penza, 27 April 2012. PenzaNews. One-person pickets against municipal transport fare increase were organized by activists of Penza regional committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and activists of the movement Left Front near the city administration building on Friday, April 27. According to First Secretary of the Penza regional committee of Komsomol Dmitry Filyaev, one-person pickets is a desperate measure, since a mass protest action must be agreed with the authorities several days earlier.

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“We just had no time to apply for a mass protest action, because City Hall to the last concealed the fact that prices for travel will be increased,” he said.

Dmitry Filyaev also noted that administration officials tried to prevent the expression of the Communists views against the unreasonable price increase for travel in the municipal transport by cleaning the territory.

“Look how they are working! They sweep the clean pavement. What for?” the communist wonder.

Meanwhile, in a few minutes after the pickets start workers of MUE “Passenger traffic of the city of Penza” also came to the administration. They stated that they support the decision to increase fares as it would improve the financial situation of the company which is, according to one of the paticipants of the meeting, in fact bankrupt.

There were about ten police officers on duty at the place where pickets were held. Some time later they demanded to remove the poster which was held by the press secretary of Penza regional committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Pavel Barabanschikov which said: “Roma, drive a student home,” however, the demand was refused.

The protest action lasted just under an hour and ended peacefully: none of its participants had been detained by police.

As news agency PenzaNews previously reported, tariffs for passengers and baggage transportation in the muncipal city transport of Penza will be among the highest in the Volga Federal District from April 30.

In case of non-cash payment with contactless microprocessor cards “Preferential transport card of Penza resident” or “Transportation card of Penza resident” the fare on buses of large capacity and trolleybuses will be 13 rubles, in case of cash payment it will be 16 rubles.

According to official data, the transport fare is higher in Kazan — 17.20 rubles. In Samara it is 15 rubles — 1 ruble less than it is going to be in Penza. In 12 regions, prices range from 8 to 15 rubles. The lowest bus fare is in Saratov and Orenburg — 10 rubles, trolleybus fare is the lowest in Orenburg — 8 rubles.

Currently, the cost of a bus trip in Penza is 11 rubles, a trolleybus trip costs 10 rubles.