Sofia Public Transport
The Sofia Urban Mobility Center (SUMC) () is the transit authority responsible for public transport in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It is one of the municipal companies controlled by Stolichna Municipality. SUMC operates an extensive bus system, 15 tram lines, a trolleybus system and a metro system. History 
SUMC was created through the merger of the companies "Stolichna kompaniya za gradni transport - Sofia" EOOD and "Parkings and garages" EAD at the beginning of 2009. It deals with:
 the organization and control over the activity of public transport in Sofia, including bus, trolleybus, tram transport and metro;
 control of transport in the city;
 construction and operation of parking spaces in the capital, etc. 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 ticket inspection. It also pays the various transport operators for their service on a per-kilometer basis. Sofia is the only city in Bulgaria that operates the four modes of public transport. As of 2023, public transport in Sofia is operated by 3 municipal and 1 private company:
 Sofia Public Bus Transport Company JSC () operates the majority of bus services 
 Sofia Public Electrical Transport Company JSC () operates the tram and trolleybus networks
 Metropoliten JSC () operates the Sofia Metro
 Private company MTK Group operate some, mainly suburban, bus services

Buses 

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. Today the system presently comprises 98 routes with 2,380 km system length. Trolleybuses 

Trolleybus transport was the last form of surface public transport to develop in Sofia, after buses and trams. The first Sofia trolleybus line opened on 8 February 1941. It was over  long, and connected the city with the Gorna Banya quarter. The line was covered by 2 MAN trolleybuses, which were stored on the last stops during the night, due to the lack of depot. In the 1950s and 1960s, massive development of the trolleybus transport in Sofia began. At that time, the construction of new trolleybus routes proceeded especially rapidly, and two depots ("Stochna Gara" and "Nadezhda") were opened, with a total capacity of 160 trolleybuses. In 1951, the first Bulgarian made trolleybuses entered service. In 1987, a new depot, "Iskar", was opened with a capacity of 130 trolleybuses. Levski depot was opened in 1994 with capacity of 60 trolleybuses. As of 2021 three depots are in operation: Nadezhda, Iskar and Levski. The latter also serves as a storage and overhaul facility. Today the system presently comprises 10 routes with 193 km route length. Trams 

Trams began operation on January 1, 1901. As of 2006, the tram system included approximately  of narrow and standard gauge one-way track. Most of the track is a narrow gauge (), with standard gauge () used on lines 20, 22 and 23 and accounting for approximately  of the system's track length. The average speed of trams in Sofia as of 2020 is 14 km/h. For comparison (2010), the subway in Sofia moves at 38.84 km/h, and the buses – at 19.4 km/h. Today the system presently comprises 15 routes with 308 km track length. Metro 

The Sofia Metro is the only metro in Bulgaria. It began operation on 28 January 1998. , the Sofia Metro consists of four interconnected lines, serving 47 stations, with a total route length of  and also being among the top 20 of the most extensive European metro systems, ranking 19th as of 2020. The Metro links the densely populated districts of Lyulin – Mladost (M1 line – Red) and Nadezhda – Lozenets (M2 line – Blue), and serves the Sofia Airport. Today the system has 4 lines with 52 km system length. See also 

 Sofia Metro
 Transport in Bulgaria
 List of metro systems
 List of tram and light rail transit systems

References

External links 
 Sofia Urban Mobility Centre official website (in English)

Transport in Sofia