Starting January 1, taxi meters in Bulgaria will begin showing fares in euros. However, until the end of this year, only the pricing stickers displayed on vehicle windows will reflect the dual currency, both in leva and euros. The change comes as part of Bulgaria's preparations for adopting the euro, but there are concerns within the industry about how ready taxi operators will be when the time comes.

As of now, taxi cash registers are not equipped to show prices in euros, and the necessary software is still under development. According to Snezhana Nikova, head of the Branch Organization of Taxi Drivers and Carriers in Bulgaria, the situation remains unclear and disorganized. The two domestic producers of taxi equipment, located in Sofia and Silistra, have yet to finalize the new software and pricing configurations. Until the systems are fully updated, the industry must rely on interim measures like the updated window stickers.

The current plan stipulates that all roughly 30,000 taxis across the country must replace their cash registers with euro-compatible devices by the beginning of 2026. Nikova warned that those who fail to do so by January 1, 2026, will be forced to cease operations. The switch is expected to cost around 1,000 leva per vehicle - this includes the device itself, installation, and the required metrological certification. Given the scale of the task, taxi operators stress that the replacement process needs to begin well in advance to avoid last-minute disruptions.

In the meantime, taxis and gas stations are temporarily exempt from displaying dual pricing on digital devices and pumps. That exemption, however, only runs through the end of 2025.

There are also practical concerns from the drivers themselves about how the transition will be managed in daily operations. Nikova pointed out the difficulty of handling two currencies simultaneously, especially when it comes to change. ?We?ll be carrying both currencies, but we don?t have euro cents,? she said. This could lead to fare rounding, which she hopes will be done ethically: ?Rounding up by 50 cents is reasonable, but anything beyond that should be avoided.?

From the start of 2026, all receipts issued by taxis must be in euros only, completing the transition to the new currency system. Until then, the industry watches and waits to see whether the technical updates will be ready in time, and at what cost.

Source:BNR interview