Burgas city bus operator Burgasbus wants schools to start lessons at different times, so buses from the Meden Rudnik district stop filling up in the morning. Manager Petko Dragnev, an engineer, confirmed that lines B1 and B2 are packed with pupils between 7:00am and 7:30am.
The proposal follows a complaint from a parent in the district to Burgas council and the operator, which was also posted in a neighbourhood group on social media. The parent says buses reach the stops already full, and children have no room to sit or to hold on to a handrail. They stand tightly packed, and a sudden stop puts their health and safety at real risk, he says.
In that half hour, B1 and B2 run every 5 minutes. Dragnev said pupils crowd on at the first stops because many schools start at the same time. Some open the first shift at 8:00am.
After the city centre the buses empty out. In the afternoon there is no problem, because lessons end at different times.
The answer, Dragnev told Bulgarian National Radio, is for "different schools to start classes in the morning at different times – 15 minutes apart, no more, so the buses fill up evenly".
Burgasbus has a specific timetable proposal, but wants council and school representatives to meet first.
Dragnev is firm that if the timetable changes, there will be enough drivers for the extra runs. Many drivers leave in summer to work for private firms during the season, then return to the city operator in autumn.
English courses for Burgasbus staff, organised because of Eurovision 2027, start after New Year.