The Sofia
public bus system ( bg, Автобусен транспорт София) forms part of the
public transport network of
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...
, the capital city of
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
.
In operation since 1935, the system presently comprises 98 routes.
History
The public bus transport in Sofia developed relatively late compared to the other types of transport in the city. The first operational line was opened on 20 April 1935. Soon after that six more lines were opened, bringing the total network length to 23 km.
During the communist era, the bus fleet consisted mainly of
Ikarus and Bulgarian-made
Chavdar buses. After the political changes in 1989, however, the fleet has gradually been modernised.
Lines
As of September 2022, the following bus lines in Sofia are in service:
Night bus
A
night bus service
Night service, sometimes also known as owl service, refers to the public transport services operated during the night hours. These services are operated, mainly using buses but in certain cases using trams (or streetcars), not including in ...
was launched in Sofia by Sofia Urban Mobility Center on an experimental basis from 7 April 2018 until 31 December 2018.
Four routes were included (N1, N2, N3 and N4) and operated from 00:20 until 04:20 at intervals of 40 mins.
[ Tickets for the night bus could be obtained solely from conductors on the bus, and not from the driver, machines or other public transport ticket sale points. Tickets for the night bus cost 2 ]leva
Leva may refer to:
* Bulgarian lev, Bulgarian currency
* ''Leva'' (grasshopper), a genus of insects
* Levice
Levice (; hu, Léva, Hungarian pronunciation: ; german: Lewenz, literally lionesses) is a town in western Slovakia. The town lies on ...
compared to the daytime price of 1.60 leva.[ Knyaz Alexander Square was chosen as the site of a transfer location where all night bus lines met and passengers could switch lines.]
Fleet
Current fleet
; Sofia Bus Transport
; Sofia Electric Transport
; MTK Group
Heritage fleet
See also
*Sofia Metro
The Sofia Metro ( bg, Софийски метрополитен, translit=Sofijski Metropoliten, also colloquially called ) is the rapid transit network servicing the Bulgarian capital city Sofia. It began operation on 28 January 1998. , the Sofi ...
*Sofia Public Transport
The public transport in Sofia consists of a comprehensive network of bus, trolleybus, tram and metro lines. It is overseen by the Sofia Urban Mobility Center, a municipal enterprise responsible for route planning, scheduling, fare collection and ti ...
*Sofia Tramway
The Sofia tram network is a vital part of the public transportation system of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It began operation on January 1, 1901. As of 2006, the tram system included approximately of narrow and standard gauge one-way track. ...
* Trolleybuses in Sofia
References
{{Urban public transport in Bulgaria
Transport in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...