Penza, 6 April 2015. PenzaNews. Mikhail Usov, coordinator of the Penza regional branch of LDPR, commented for PenzaNews agency on the information about the decision No. 410/1 of the Penza administration, according to which on May 1, city bus fare benefits for certain categories of citizens will be canceled.

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“If the document actually exists, city officials are robbing people of their money. Not only that some citizens will now be able to take advantage of the trolley bus benefits only, but moreover, the number of bus card ticket rides will be reduced from 40 to 32 rides,” the agency speaker noted.

According to Mikhail Usov, this step may be considered a hidden fare increase.

“The state beneficiaries used to be able to make 40 trips a month for 320 rubles, which equals to 8 rubles per trip, and if the decision comes into force [on May 1], only 32 trips will be left, that is 10 rubles per trip. LDPR considers the 25% increase in fare for beneficiaries during crisis an unacceptable decision,” the leader of Penza Liberal Democrats stated.

According to him, if the document comes into force, it will lead to certain conclusions.

“It turns out that ‘Penza Passenger Transportation’ bankruptcy is advantageous not only to private carriers, but to the city administration. Under the guise of municipal enterprise liquidation, in which the Penza city administration sees no signs of deliberate bankruptcy, as Krivov [head of Penza administration] stated on March 27 at a Penza city administration meeting, the officials decided to reduce the transportation benefits. What next? Cancellation of all public transport fare benefits?” Mikhail Usov outraged.

He stressed that some Penza deputies, directly related to transportation department, spend a lot of time and energy talking about how unprofitable it is to engage in the transportation business.

“I will not be surprised if the decision to reduce the transport privileges, was ‘pushed through’ in the administration by those deputies with a good ‘pedigree,’ but questionable results of their work. Now there is nothing to stop them: ‘Penza Passenger Transportation’ is being liquidated, and these elected representatives, apparently, do not care that such people as war veterans, concentration camp prisoners, the disabled, veterans of labor, Chernobyl representatives, Afghan war veterans, and mothers with many children, will suffer from their actions,” the agency interlocutor said.

“I believe that the Penza city administration comes to senses, and the governor [Vasily Bochkarev] will not have to intervene in the situation and reason with the presumptuous bureaucrats, like he had to in the situation with Penza trolley buses,” Mikhail Usov concluded.