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Public transport price hike rumored

Kviris Palitra reports that price of a ride on a marshrutka will increase to 1 lari, while a bus ticket will cost 70 tetri, up from 50 tetri.

No official comment has been made by Tbilisi’s Bus, the company that owns the yellow buses and marshrutkas in the capital. Tbilisi City Hall did not confirm the reports, either, but noted that if a price hike occurs, the company is required to inform City Hall one month beforehand.

Member of the Tbilisi City Assembly, Christian Democrat Jaba Samushia, remarked that a recent NDI survey showed that high prices for public transportation is one of the key problems for Tbilisi citizens, almost equal to the issue of combined payments for electricity and garbage.



Who is Black Sea Sat?

Kvela Siakhle has attempted to uncover who is behind the Black Sea Sat company, a rumored new cable television provider.

After Global TV signed a contract with the Ninth Channel, other Georgian channels – Rustavi 2, Imedi TV, Mze and Sakartvelo, cancelled their contracts with the company. Imedi TV Director Giorgi Arveladze claimed the reason was cooperation with a new cable company.

“The new company appears to be Black Sea Sat which, when Arveladze made the aforementioned statement, had not even gone through the cable broadcasting authorization process,” the article reads.

Kvela Siakhle reports that Black Sea Sat was founded in March 2011. Mamuka Tskhitishvili is the Director and holds 5% of the company's shares. Black Sea Group LLC owns 70%, Giorgi Abushvili has 10%, Tamar Grdzelishvili has 10%, and Levan Giorgadze, 5%.