Two months after the decision of the Kamëz Municipality to increase the price of urban transport tickets, accompanied by accusations of open conflict of interest, the Competition Authority has decided to launch a preliminary investigation into this case.
The institution announces that the investigation was opened following complaints filed and concerns made public in the media regarding the increase in the prices of tickets and urban transport passes in the Municipality of Kamëz. According to the Competition Authority, the investigation aims to analyze the conditions of free and effective competition in the relevant market.
The focus of the investigation will be mainly on the Kamëz–Tirana–Kamëz and Paskuqan–Babrru–Tirana lines, which serve a large number of citizens every day. From the official documentation administered, it results that the company SHSPRESA – AL SHPK is the only operator licensed to provide this service on these lines, possessing a dominant position in the market, within the meaning of the Law “On the Protection of Competition”.
The Competition Authority emphasizes that from the preliminary assessment, no complete economic or financial analyses have been administered to prove that the increase in ticket and season ticket fees is based on real cost increases, is economically necessary and justified on objective market grounds.
The preliminary investigation will extend to the period from January 1, 2025 to December 12, 2025 and aims to assess whether the conduct of the enterprise SHPRESA – AL SHPK may constitute a restriction, distortion or prevention of competition, according to the provisions of Law No. 9121/2003.
We recall that the increase in the ticket price on the Kamëz-Tirana line from 40 to 50 lekë, as well as the increase in the price of the monthly pass from 1200 to 1400 lekë, has been accompanied by serious suspicions of conflict of interest. Earlier, VNA has published documents showing that the persons who proposed, supported and voted for the fare increase are also managers of the company “Shpresa.al”, which directly benefits from this decision.
The proposal for the fare increase was made by Dashnor Memaj, president of the Urban and Intercity Transport Association, who has publicly justified the increase with increased maintenance and fuel costs, as well as the lack of state subsidies. However, public records and available information indicate that Memaj also holds the position of director of the company “Shpresa.al”, the private entity that operates the lines where the price increase was applied, placing him in a position of direct financial benefit.
The conflict of interest deepens further in the Kamëz Municipal Council, where it turns out that some councilors who voted in favor of the price increase have direct ties to the beneficiary company, including its official administrator. The situation is also aggravated by the fact that the Municipal Council meeting, which was initially published on social networks, was later deleted, adding to suspicions of a lack of transparency in the decision-making process.
Meanwhile, the citizens of Kamza have reacted with protests and dissatisfaction, describing the decision as an unfair economic burden and demanding an institutional investigation into a decision-making that, according to them, has openly violated the public interest.
