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By:
Ardona Popova
- August 19, 2025 19:22
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Citizens and bus company managers from Podujevo protested in front of the Pristina Municipality building against the decision that prohibits the return of buses near the “Llapi Mosque”. The Bus Transport Association of this line said that without the fulfillment of their demands they will not return to work. The Pristina Municipality insisted that the return of buses to the “Llapi Mosque” will not be allowed
Five months after reaching an agreement with the Municipality of Pristina, transporters from Podujevo have returned to protests in front of the Municipality building.
The Podujeva-Pristina Bus Transport Association protested on Tuesday against the Municipality's position that buses should not be allowed to return to the "Llapi Mosque", but to go to the Station.
A day earlier, the Police, in cooperation with the Municipality, stopped buses from returning to the "Llapi Mosque".
The Municipality has said that this is a violation of the agreement reached in March.
Beqir Mustafa, the president of the Bus Transport Association, complained that they were fined by inspectors and their license plates were taken away.
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He said that the authorities have not met any of their demands.
"We have come out to adhere to the timetable that we have approved from the Ministry. Inspectors have stopped us, fined us 500 euros, and taken away our plates. We have the buses where they stopped us. We will not work until we have achieved the points that we have requested from them. If we respect the timetable that we have from the Ministry, then we will work," said Mustafa.
Alongside the transporters, citizens also came out, calling the Municipality's decision unfair.
Antigona Jakupi said that the bus stop makes it difficult for residents of Podujeva to move around and that this situation endangers the lives of citizens, especially students and teachers near the "Modeli" school.
"The citizens of Llapje have businesses in Podujevo, they travel every day, they frequent that road. It is very dangerous. I don't know if you have been there, do you know what road it is where we wait at the 'Modeli' school. They don't let the bus park. It has to go to the traffic lights, the lives of the citizens are at risk, it is a public school there, the lives of the students and teachers are at risk. The municipality must find a solution for us," said Jakupi.
Another protester, Nazmije Hajrullahu, called the decision unfair, saying that the journey from Podujevo to Pristina has become too long and tiring.
"This is a great disgrace. They are treating us unfairly. They don't even allow us to get a ticket. They tell us to travel from Podujeva for an hour and a half and 40 minutes to the station, and even if we come back, we still have an hour there. Until we go to work, we have to do it for 5 hours. This is terrible," said Hajrullahu. "They have treated us very badly. I don't understand. This has existed since Podujeva was part of Pristina, this has never been prohibited. Very bad."
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A few months after the agreement, transporters from Podujevo protest in front of the Municipality of Pristina
And, the Director of Mobility in the Municipality of Pristina, Donat Lushaku, has said that Podujeva buses will not be allowed to return to the "Llapi Mosque" stop, despite the protest and request of citizens.
"As you have seen, the Podujeva Bus Association has continued with the strike, but now after the police notification and the written decision, the strike of the previous form will not be carried out in the sense of blocking traffic or certain lanes in certain areas of the city. The municipality will continue, together with its inspectors and the police, to take legal measures against the same and thus circulation within the city will not be allowed at all. Returning from the so-called 'Xhamia e Llapi' station, no way," said Lushkau.
He announced that the Municipality is open to dialogue only on two issues raised by the association.
"We are therefore trying to meet the other requests. I say this in the sense that there will be an opportunity for dialogue on two points, which is the part about illegal taxis, which is both our concern and a request of the Podujevo Bus Association, and the other point that some lines that the Municipality has contracted should not pass through the territory of Podujevo," said Lushaku.
In March, transporters from Podujevo went on strike for several days until an agreement was reached with the Municipality. According to the agreement, buses from Podujevo should travel to the “Llapi Mosque” and pass through the “Zagreb” road to the Bus Station.
On Sunday, in a statement, the Municipality of Pristina called reports that some operators from Podujevo are intending to bypass the Bus Station and stop at the "Llapi Mosque" as worrying and a violation of the mutual agreement.
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"We emphasize that such actions will not be allowed. The municipality will take all necessary legal and administrative measures to ensure that all interurban buses, without exception, stop at the official Bus Station in Pristina to pick up and drop off passengers. Unauthorized stops within the city center pose a risk to traffic safety, public order and urban transport planning. We also recall that the center of Pristina cannot accommodate interurban transport, due to the dynamics of city development, the increase in vehicle flow and the need for sustainable management of public space," the announcement states.
In March, representatives of the Podujeva-Prishtina Bus Association went on strike for seven days, parking their buses in front of the Prishtina Municipality building.
