Many who planned to travel to Belgrade on Friday to participate in a large student-led protest on Saturday, March 15, found themselves without transportation to the capital.

On Friday, Serbia’s railway company Srbijavoz said it had received a bomb threat, forcing it to suspend all intercity travel.

“We are working closely with the Internal Affairs Ministry to resolve this situation. We are forced to temporarily suspend operations of all intercity trains to ensure the safety of passengers and train crews,” the company said.

The bus carrier “Nikolic Prevoz” canceled its routes to Belgrade from the cities of Zajecar and Negotin through Sunday. N1 has learned that the regular lines from both cities were discontinued due to the Saturday protest in Belgrade.

Nikolic Prevoz is the largest bus company in the Timocka Krajina region, which also operates its own bus stations and has close ties to the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

This bus company has frequently transported SNS supporters from Zajecar and other towns in eastern Serbia to SNS rallies, as well as to the welcome event for Russian President Vladimir Putin in January 2019 in Belgrade.

Students who planned to take buses from Kragujevac to Belgrade on Friday also found themselves without transportation. Reports indicate that the Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) removed the license plates from the buses, making it impossible for private bus drivers who wanted to transport students to depart.

The news quickly spread on social media, prompting citizens to organize and offer rides to students who planned to travel to Belgrade on Friday.

All departures from the bus station in the city of Pozarevac to Belgrade and from Belgrade to Pozarevac on Saturday, March 15, have been canceled, along with several routes to other cities. A notice posted at the Pozarevac bus station reads that all departures to and from Belgrade are canceled “due to the anticipated unrest and traffic blockades in Belgrade, considering the safety of passengers.”

The transportation company “Lasta” announced that “due to the current security situation,” it would suspend all services to Belgrade starting Friday, affecting both intercity and suburban routes within the city. It noted that this decision was made “primarily to ensure the safety of the passengers and the bus drivers.”