Chairman of the Transport and Road Association Davit Meskhishvili has responded to the Shatili road accident by writing a post on his Facebook page.
In Meskhishvili's words, passengers in Georgia are transported by freight minibusses rather than passenger minibusses from one city to the other. Meskhishvili also writes that the Shatili minibus should have undergone inspection on 13 July, but it was subject to it on 13 January 2020. In the 13 January photo, it can be seen perfectly well that this minibus with its seating capacity for 16 passengers complies with the standard.
"Then how did the minibus transport 20 passengers?
In accordance with the common practice, in order to undergo inspections, minibus drivers remove their additional seats, and after being subject to inspection, they reinstall these seats. By doing so, they pose a risk to passengers' lives! The majority of drivers do so, and where is the government? Everyone knows this and, first of all, state agencies," Chairman of the Transport and Road Association wrote and once again emphasized that in the 21st c Georgia, passengers among cities are transported by freight minibusses.
