On January 6, 2019, around 40 people held a protest in front of Rustavi City Hall against the fare increase for travel to Tbilisi. The protesters blamed the Rustavi City Hall, which had a 15-year contract with the company Intertrans. The mayor of Rustavi, Irakli Tabagua, met with the protesters and, at their request, personally removed the new 2 GEL fare sign from the Tbilisi–Rustavi minibus and replaced it with the old fare of 1.50 GEL.

However, the drivers said the mayor’s action meant nothing to them and that they would still raise the fare to 2 GEL. They also warned that if passengers refused to pay this amount, they would go on strike.

Later that night, the drivers met again with the mayor and agreed to create a commission that would include drivers themselves, representatives from Intertrans, Rustavi’s local government, and NGOs. “In addition, the Samkharauli Forensic Bureau must provide a new expert assessment to determine the actual cost for the company of transporting one passenger,” said Lavrenti Alania, deputy chairman of the United Trade Unions.

All interested parties attended the City Council meeting on January 10, where the drivers’ demand was approved and the formation of the special commission was decided.

At the meeting, Intertrans director Aleksandre Japaridze announced that the old fare would remain in effect until February 2, by which time the commission was expected to reach a decision.

According to Guram Kvaratskhelia, head of the Rustavi City Council’s temporary working group on transport issues, Intertrans had not properly addressed the issue of passenger tickets, making it difficult for the commission to determine how much revenue the company was actually earning from passenger services.

Four months later, the Samkharauli Bureau issued its conclusion: considering expenses, the fare should be set at 1.8 GEL. Eventually, the fare increased by 30 tetri and became 1.80 GEL.