On February 25, 2011, minibus drivers in Tbilisi went on strike, demanding the annulment of a recent tender held by the city government to select new transport operators. According to reports, the winning companies planned to raise drivers’ daily operating fees from 5 to 20 GEL, though both the companies and Tbilisi City Hall denied these claims.

The strike by minibus drivers disrupted passenger transportation across the city, prompting City Hall to deploy additional buses to ease the situation.

On the first day of the strike, it became clear that the information circulating among drivers — that the winning companies planned to quadruple or further increase the daily fees — was false. Tbilisi’s head of the Transport Service, Akaki Jokhadze, met with the strikers and promised to preserve their jobs and maintain the existing fee structure. Following the meeting, some drivers resumed work on February 26.

However, many drivers continued the strike. On February 25, one driver who broke solidarity and returned to work was verbally assaulted by fellow strikers. According to Lasha Chkhartishvili, a member of the Conservative Party and one of the protest organizers, police detained those involved in the incident. A court sentenced ten of them to 30 days in detention and five others to one week.

The drivers gathered again on February 28, repeating their demand to cancel the tender results. After further explanations from City Hall and the winning companies, the protest came to an end.