WHEN STUDENTS NEEDED HIM MOST, HE STOOD BY THEIR SIDE: Jaćimović endured two years of pressure and millions in fines, and now his buses are back on the road!

Transport operator Milomir Jaćimović, who spent the past two years driving students to protests and rallies across Serbia, told FoNet that interest in his company’s services has increased significantly following the election changes and that his buses are once again getting back to work.

Jaćimović said he was delighted by the number of calls he had received following the elections held on October 25, adding that he was prepared to pay the millions in fines previously imposed on him because the money would now go into the state budget.

“Honestly, I don’t mind paying those fines because that money goes into the budget. The children are there, so it will go into their budget,” Jaćimović said.

He wants to pay the millions in fines in installments

Although he is not avoiding his financial obligations, Jaćimović hopes he will be allowed to settle the debt in installments, as he cannot afford to pay millions all at once.

“I’m not going to ask anything from the state or anyone else. I’ll pay everything, I just need them to let me pay a little at a time because I can’t pay it all at once. For two years, I paid my employees’ salaries and maintained the company, even though I wasn’t working,” the transport operator explained.

He is asking the state for help only with his driver’s license

He identified his driver’s license as the only issue for which he expects assistance from the state.

According to him, a large number of penalty points were added to his driving record during the period when he was supporting the students, raising the possibility that he could lose his driver’s license.

“If the state doesn’t step in, I’ll lose my entire driver’s license. That’s the only thing I would ask for, as for these fines and everything else – I’ll pay it all,” Jaćimović said.

He does not want compensation and is grateful to citizens and the diaspora

Jaćimović stressed that he had no intention of seeking any compensation from the state, although he believes his buses were specifically targeted because of his support for the student protests and his transportation of students.

He recalled that he managed to keep his business afloat during the most difficult period thanks to assistance from citizens across Serbia and the diaspora.

“When things were at their worst, when everything seemed darkest, the people of Serbia and the diaspora helped me and lifted me up. I wouldn’t have managed to survive that struggle if the people hadn’t supported me at the time,” he said.

RTS contacted him to apologize

The transport operator also revealed that Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) had recently contacted him to offer an apology, after which a report about his case was filmed.

Jaćimović emphasized that his support for the students had not been motivated by political interests, but rather by his desire to fight for justice.

“I told them at the public broadcaster as well that I was fighting solely for justice. Politics absolutely doesn’t interest me,” Jaćimović concluded.