The unique number #7458, used 8 million times to pay for trips with STB and more than 3 million times for parking payments in 2023 alone, was dynamited by an untimely decision of the Bucharest Municipal Parking Company. Thus, the citizens of Bucharest risk receiving a fine even if they have legally paid for the parking.
With or, rather, without the knowledge of the general mayor Nicușor Dan, a system that makes Bucharest unique in the landscape of European capitals risks being dynamited. Moreover, drivers who have legally paid for parking in Bucharest risk being fined.
Starting from Monday, the Bucharest Municipal Parking Company started to apply stickers on the parking information boards, updating the SMS number intended for payments.
The decision took everyone by surprise, especially since it is a time when the comfort of Bucharest residents should be in the foreground.
number #7458 it was accessed more than 11 million times in 2023, just for paying for travel with STB means and paying for parking. The system, which already offers the possibility of paying for entry to museums or for traveling by train to Henry Coandă Airport, can be easily adapted to function as a much easier-to-use City Card.
At the top of the EU, thanks to the unique number
Bucharest is one of only 15 capitals of EU countries (out of 28) in which the payment of trips on public public transport can be made by SMS, without the need to download an application or pay immediately by card. It is an advantage that the people of Bucharest, or those who visit the capital, take advantage of more and more, as shown by the data consulted by Profit.ro.
Specifically, in 2023 approximately 8 million payments were made through this system, with a monthly average of over 600,000 transactions, and in 2024 the number of payments increased substantially, reaching a peak of over 800,000 in March. The same unique number can be used in Bucharest, this time as in almost all EU capitals, and for parking fee (https://cmpb.ro/files/19/Modalitati%20plata.pdf).
In this regard, in 2023 almost 3 million transactions were carried out, and in March 2024 alone almost 330,000 payments were registered. Also by SMS to the number #7458 you can also pay for the train that connects the North Station with Otopeni Airport.
Unlike other STB travel or parking payment methods, payment by SMS comes with certain advantages, especially in a country where the level of literacy in the field of new technologies is among the lowest in the EU, the skepticism of the population regarding the safety of card payments is high, and the infrastructure in this sector is still precarious. First of all, as we showed above, there is no need to download a specific application (as is the case in many other capitals), which is why those who pay for the trip by SMS do not need high-performance phones or even internet . It should be noted that payment by SMS can also be done with the help of devices equipped with a pre-pay card.
Secondly, given the schedule of STB cashiers (closed at night and on weekends), paying by SMS is a method by which you can avoid fines, even without having a monthly or other term subscription. Last but not least, the payment by SMS comes with a “grace period” for the one who uses it, because the payment for the trip will be made together with the next invoice for the telephone subscription, i.e. at an interval of about one month.
This last advantage is especially obvious when it comes to paying for parking, considering that, in Bucharest, the average hourly cost is 5 lei, which can generate significant expenses for those who, for example, often come to Bucharest, without to live here As in the case of public transport, paying for parking by this method saves you from the problems that can arise with finding a “parking meter” or with installing a dedicated application, which sometimes may not work and which anyway requires debiting a card, so including entering bank data.
