Article 135³ of the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia governs the rules on bus stopping places within the administrative boundaries of the Tbilisi municipality, on roads determined by the municipality. The norm divides into two parts: the stopping of a bus outside the established stopping places, and the stopping or standing of another type of vehicle at bus stopping places. Each part triggers its own fine, and each is considered as an independent dispute.
What the Norm Covers
The first part concerns buses (categories M 2 and M 3): stopping outside the established stopping places entails a fine for the driver of 100 lari. The second part concerns other types of vehicles: their stopping or standing at a bus stopping place is assessed with a fine of 50 lari. The key to qualification is category: a vehicle of category M 2 or M 3 counts as a bus, and it is precisely at the stopping places of these categories that the regime of the second part applies. The stop sign and its infrastructure are mandatory elements of the road: their use by other transport is restricted.
Two boundaries deserve separation: the fine is imposed precisely on the driver, not automatically on the owner of the vehicle; and the place of the violation must be considered in relation to an established stopping place — a mere stop on another section of the road is not assessed under this norm. These two boundaries of qualification are often exactly where the dispute unfolds in favour of the acting party.
The Consequence of Not Paying the Fine
The norm sets a model of consecutive sanctioning: if the fine is not voluntarily performed within the period defined by law, a surcharge of twice the amount of the imposed fine accrues to the offender. If the fine and the surcharge remain unpaid within 30 days of the surcharge, a measure securing payment of the fine and the surcharge is applied to the offender in the manner established by the legislation. The practical conclusion is clear: paying the fine immediately or appealing it in due time removes the double burden. The surcharge regime is not a new fine — it is an instrument of enforcement of the existing one, and therefore the moment of its accrual and the counting of terms is a separate detail to verify in the dispute: if the term is counted incorrectly, the surcharge itself becomes unfounded.