According to a proposal initiated by Mayor Ciprian Ciucu and approved by the General Council of Bucharest, hybrid vehicles will no longer benefit from free parking in public parking spaces managed by the City Hall, those marked in blue, starting May 1, 2026.

For electric vehicles, the free parking policy will remain in place until the end of 2027.

The benefit had originally been introduced around a decade ago by the General Council, applying exclusively to vehicles registered in Bucharest.

Initially, the mayor proposed eliminating free parking for both electric and hybrid vehicles. However, following political negotiations, several parties — USR, REPER, and PSD — submitted amendments aimed at preserving the benefit for electric cars.

USR pushed for an extension until the end of 2027, REPER proposed an additional two years, while PSD suggested keeping the benefit only until the end of the current year. In the end, a joint amendment supported by PSD, PUSL, and USR, maintaining free parking for electric vehicles until December 31, 2027, was adopted.

Why the mayor wants to eliminate free parking

The mayor publicly explained the reasoning behind his proposal, including the idea of removing free parking even for electric vehicles in central areas.

“I’m seeing people give me lessons in urban ecology while confusing environmental policies with mobility policies. That’s fine, I have no problem with that — but first, I’d like to explain why I decided to propose eliminating all free parking, including for electric vehicles in central areas where the City Hall manages parking.

First of all, because today the public parking service no longer justifies its existence: there are around 90,000 free permits for roughly 45,000 parking spaces. It’s simply absurd.

If you want mayors who ‘buy you off’ with populist freebies, you voted wrong. If you want a mayor who makes unpopular decisions but does what is right in the long term, then trust me,” said Ciprian Ciucu.

He argues that electric vehicles occupy the same space as conventional cars, while free parking contributes to overcrowding of public space and reduces space for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport. He also raised a social equity concern, noting that electric car owners tend to be, on average, more affluent.

“Citizens without cars indirectly subsidize free parking for those who own electric vehicles. Some electric car owners use parking without limits (they don’t move their cars), which blocks parking turnover and affects economic activity in the area,” he added.

The mayor also pointed to the financial impact, stressing that the policy leads to lost revenue for the city, even though parking remains “one of the few direct sources of local income”, while costs for maintenance, markings, and enforcement remain in place.

“Free parking sends the message that ‘the car is the solution’. In well-functioning cities, there are other solutions, such as public transport — the city center is already well served.

Clean air is achieved through Low Emission Zones (we are already working on pilot areas) and through charging infrastructure. Give me time and you will see,” the mayor said.

He also emphasized that parking in Bucharest remains relatively cheap, at around 16.5 lei per day under a subscription model.

“I don’t believe that people who buy electric cars base their decision on this free parking. They have other reasons, including noble ones, and they have my respect.

Also, since we reintroduced enforcement, revenues have increased significantly — but not enough, because too many cars still benefit from free parking.

We need funding for underground parking. We are currently reviewing projects within the PIDU framework to decide where to start,” he concluded.

Source

Also recommended Parking in Bucharest in 2026: zones, fees, apps and how to avoid fines