SaS Blasts €30Mn 'Cyril' Ticketing App Over Low Usage and High Costs

Bratislava, 27 October (TASR) – Opposition party SaS criticises the use of the Cyril application, which allows passengers to buy a single ticket for several types of public passenger transport, warning that the state is losing millions of euros on the project — worth approximately €30 million and run by the Transport Ministry — while public interest remains low. The liberals raised the issue on Tuesday, calling for an immediate review of the project and the contract with Slovak Post. They will also refer the matter to the Supreme Audit Authority (NKU). "Almost nobody uses the application. Slovak Post is even paid €70,000 a month to keep the system running. If you compare this fixed monthly fee and the initial investment of €30 million with the number of tickets sold, each ticket costs €93 excluding VAT," SaS leader Branislav Groehling said. He added that the party is calling for an immediate review of what he described as a pointless application, warning that the state is financing a system with minimal usage and high operating costs. Peter Bathory, SaS transport expert, pointed out that approximately 15,000 tickets had been sold through Cyril between July and September, despite millions of people travelling by train and bus in Slovakia every month. "According to our calculations, the application is used by approximately 0.02 percent of passengers. The state has invested €30 million in a system that's practically invisible to travellers," he stated. According to Bathory, the fixed monthly fee paid to Slovak Post, regardless of the number of tickets sold, is due to increase to €95,000 shortly. "At current sales levels, the monthly operating costs alone amount to approximately €14 per ticket. Imagine buying a ticket for 70 cents while the state spends many times that amount to provide it. No prudent manager would sign such a contract," Bathory emphasised. SaS said Transport Minister Jozef Raz, a nominee of the Smer-SD party, should explain who received the approximately €30 million, why the state was paying a fixed fee instead of remuneration based on the number of tickets sold, and how he intended to ensure that passengers actually started using the application. "The project, financed through the Recovery Plan with European funds, was intended to integrate transport services in at least six regions. The reality is that passengers still cannot easily transfer between buses and trains, while the state pays tens of thousands of euros every month," Bathory added. SaS vice-chair Marian Viskupic said such expenditure was one of the reasons the government has failed to bring public finances under control. "I am convinced that if minister Raz were spending his own money, he would not have signed such a contract. But this is taxpayers' money. Therefore, we'll submit the case to the Supreme Audit Authority to investigate the project's cost-effectiveness and the terms of the contract with Slovak Post," Viskupic added. He underlined that the state must first stop wasting public money before it can credibly talk about the need for savings and how much money it should collect from the people. mf