Esmeralda Topi
A month before the local elections in May 2023, the mayor of Lezha, Pjerin Ndreu, promised to reimburse half of the urban transport ticket for the elderly and categories in need.
“The 2024 budget will assess the reimbursement of half of the urban transport ticket for the elderly and other categories in need,” Ndreu declared during an electoral meeting.
In 2024, Faktoje.al ‘s verifications showed that the Municipality of Lezhë had no funds planned for Mayor Ndreu’s promise. Last year, the Municipality of Lezhë confirmed that the situation had not changed. The 2025–2027 medium-term budget did not include ticket reimbursement.
According to the Municipality, the only measure related to ticket prices was a decision of the Municipal Council affecting disabled workers, approved years before Ndreu’s electoral promise.
“With the Decision of the Municipal Council No. 36, dated 28.03.2018, it is foreseen that only disabled people will benefit from a 50% discount on the ticket price,” explained the Municipality of Lezhë.
The municipality announced that it was a partner in the international SMART LAND project, funded by Interreg South Adriatic, through which two trainings were held to analyze the state of public transport and propose long-term solutions.
However, by November 2025, when we verified the promise, no concrete plan or deadline had been approved for the creation of an urban service.
Fact
This year, the situation changed. After verification by Faktoje.al, the Municipality of Lezhë announced that an international project (SMARTLAND1) has been completed and the implementation of (SMARTLAND 2) has already begun.
Within the framework of this project, the purchase of a public transport vehicle is foreseen, which will be used specifically for the needs of the elderly.
The purchase is approved in Municipal Council Decision No. 113, dated 15.12.2025, while the measure for ticket reimbursement will be included in the Transportation Plan that is expected to be drafted this year.
cONcluSiON
Mayor Pjerin Ndreu’s promise to reimburse half of the urban transport ticket for the elderly and categories in need, based on the latest information from the Lezha Municipality, is categorized as a partially kept promise .
*Faktoje, supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), is monitoring 10 municipalities in the country and verifying whether or not the promises made by the mayors have been kept.
