On 1 May 2004, Saturday, the gratis period of CAT /Control over Automobile Transport/ expires with regard to the availability of vignette.

On 1 May 2004, Saturday, the gratis period of CAT /Control over Automobile Transport/ expires with regard to the availability of vignette. The Road Executive Agency contracted a gratis period for April and the bodies of CAT only reminded drivers that they had to have a vignette. As of 1 April 2004 the vignette system becomes effective for heavy vehicles of more than two axles and lorries of two axles and buses, freight and passenger mini-buses of more than 8+1 places, i.e. all except cars for which the system takes effect on 1 January 2005. The so-called “paper” vignettes are issued during the first stage. Тhey represent a certifying document for the payment of the charge for the use of the road infrastructure. This document should be kept within the automobile for the period of use of the paid road network. Drivers of vehicles Category 1 and 2 are obliged to show their vignettes if required by control bodies. Drivers who do not have vignettes pay fines, respectively – 500 leva for Category 2 /buses, freight and passenger mini-buses of more than 8+1 places, and lorries of two axles/ and 1000 leva for Category 1 /heavy vehicles of more than two axles/. Since the enforcement of the vignette system on 1 April this year 51 829 vignettes at the total amount of 10 520 115 leva have been sold to drivers of Bulgarian and foreign vehicles. PR & International Relations Directorate