Small business is crushed due to a monopoly in roadside assistance, said the acting Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Nikolay Naydenov on the occasion of the protest of representatives of roadside assistance companies on the Sofia Ring Road, BGNES reported.
"Those who protest are trying to take Sofia residents hostage", added Naydenov. According to him, there is an interest in diverting the attention of the Ministry of Interior from revealing election violations.
Minister Naydenov declared himself in favor of returning the service to the free market.
"API is an agency for the construction and maintenance of roads and roadside assistance services are not an inherent activity. It is not the state's job to tell private business who to call for roadside assistance. Our society cannot be held hostage to private interests," he is categorical.
The monopoly was gradually created, and it all started in 2010, the regional minister explained. "It seems that last summer, with the inclusion of a clause in the contract for repair and ongoing maintenance of RIA, this noble service was canceled. RIA has slipped and is involved in an inappropriate activity. We stop paying for this service. We will no longer send such amounts. We leave things to the free market," Naydenov added.
Dimitar Mihaylov, a representative of the industry, told the media that the market is 100% monopolized by a single company, which is currently protesting. According to him, the responsibility for a car lies with the owner and the persons in it.