Transport in Moldova

Moldova has an established transport system covering urban and regional public transport, roads, rail, air travel, cycling and walking. Provisional January–June 2026 statistics recorded 167.9 million public-transport passengers, excluding Transnistria and the municipality of Bender. Electric transport and trolleybuses carried 111.0 million passengers, while buses and minibuses carried 55.9 million. Rail carried 66,500 passengers, air transport 827,000 and river transport 45,500. Public passenger transport totaled 333.0 million passengers in 2025. Public transport is administratively decentralized. Municipal, local, raional, interraional and international services operate under different arrangements. In Chișinău, RTEC provides trolleybus services and PUA provides urban and suburban bus services. The National Agency for Road Transport, known as ANTA, licenses and authorizes services, publishes schedules and supervises providers. Municipal authorities arrange services, stops, contracts and subsidies. Passengers generally need a valid ticket or abonament. In Chișinău, the 2026 fare is 7 lei per trip; a general monthly pass costs 273 lei, a three-month pass 693 lei and a six-month pass 1,134 lei. Traveling without a ticket can result in a 50-lei payment immediately, 75 lei within 72 hours or a court-imposed penalty of up to 200 lei. The maximum interraional fare has been 0.89 lei per kilometer per passenger since 29 May 2026. Rail transport is established but has low passenger use compared with road transport. Calea Ferată din Moldova, or CFM, is the state railway enterprise responsible for infrastructure and passenger and freight services. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development and the Railway Agency also have sector responsibilities. Passenger rights and operating rules are set out in Government Decision HG593/2023, while public rail services are addressed by HG47/2023. Tickets are sold online and for domestic and international journeys. Listed connections include Chișinău–Kyiv, Chișinău–Iași-Socola and Chișinău–Bucharest. A restructuring toward CFM Infra and CFM Pasageri și Marfă is ongoing. Road transport is the dominant personal-transport mode. Moldova had 9,531 kilometers of public roads in 2024, including 9,229 kilometers with a hard surface, and 842,215 registered cars including taxis. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development and the National Road Administration manage the national system, while local public authorities manage local roads. The Public Services Agency registers vehicles and issues driving licences. A driving licence normally requires training at an authorized school, medical fitness, a theory examination and a practical examination through the Public Services Agency. The minimum age is 16 for AM, A1 and B1 categories; 18 for B, BE and C1; 21 for C and D1; and 24 for A and D, subject to specific progression rules for some motorcycle categories. A category B theory examination costs 70 lei and the practical examination costs 300 lei. Standard licence issuance costs 440 lei and takes 20 working days. Standard vehicle registration costs 1,140 lei and also takes 20 working days, with urgent services available at different fees. Vehicles must pass the required technical inspection at an authorized ANTA station. The inspection period depends on the vehicle class and age; personal vehicles younger than ten years generally undergo inspection every two years, while public passenger vehicles and vehicles carrying dangerous goods face stricter periods. Civil liability insurance, called RCA, is mandatory. Domestic RCA cover usually lasts 12 months. International travel requires a Carte Verde certificate, with available periods from 15 days to 12 months. Foreign-registered vehicles and trailers require a vinieta for the entire stay in Moldova; digital payment is available through EVO and e-Vinieta. The Road Traffic Regulation, known as RCR, is based on Government Decision HG357/2009 and later amendments, including HG122/2026. The general maximum speed is 50 kilometers per hour in built-up areas, 20 in residential areas and adjacent areas, 90 outside built-up areas and 110 on designated roads. Drivers with less than one year of experience have a 70-kilometer-per-hour maximum. Road users must follow pedestrian and cyclist priority rules, parking and stopping restrictions, railway-crossing rules, technical-condition requirements and alcohol prohibitions. Speeding, driving under the influence, failing to adapt to weather, and failing to give pedestrians priority are frequent crash causes. Violations can lead to fines and penalty points. Cycling has a fragmented local equivalent rather than one continuous national network. The traffic rules recognize bicycles, scooters, bicycle lanes, shared lanes and duties toward vulnerable road users. National mobility and safety policy supports separated lanes, safe crossings and traffic calming. Chișinău has more than 20 kilometers of continuous cycle lanes, a mapped network in its general urban plan and further projects. Infrastructure quality and continuity vary considerably between municipalities. Walking is an established transport mode, especially for short urban and rural journeys. Local authorities and road administrators are mainly responsible for sidewalks, crossings, pedestrian paths and accessibility, while the National Road Administration adds sidewalks to national-road projects. Moldova has no separate national walking service. For interraional and international travel, buses and minibuses are the main personal-transport option. In January–June 2026, bus and minibus passenger movement was divided approximately into 90.0% local, municipal and raional travel, 8.1% interraional travel and 1.9% international travel. ANTA authorizes the services, and autogări and public stops provide the normal boarding points where applicable. Air travel is available through Chișinău International Airport. Inland passenger transport exists but has very low practical relevance. Transport emissions and mobility impacts are monitored through the national environmental inventory and MRVA, the reporting, monitoring, verification and accreditation system used for environmental data. Mobility 2030 promotes safer, accessible and sustainable transport, including public and electric transport, walking, cycling and electric vehicles. A National Electric Mobility 2030 plan was under public consultation in September 2026 and should be treated as planned rather than implemented. Electric trolleybuses already form the largest measured share of public-transport passenger use. Transport costs include fares, vehicle fees, taxes and insurance; broader environmental or surrounding-area questions belong to separate subject areas.