Video: Possible Reduction of Vehicles in Yerevan Public Transport System

Questions regarding the final draft of the new public transport network in Yerevan were discussed during a meeting of the working group on public transport reforms.

This information was reported by the Information and Public Relations Department of the Yerevan Municipality. The working group includes municipal employees, members of the city council, representatives of the public, and experts. During the meeting, the first deputy mayor of Yerevan, Hrachya Sargsyan, noted that in the past months, city authorities have become familiar with the proposal package from the consulting company WYG, which was responsible for designing the new transport network. They have made suggestions regarding the transfer and passenger flow reports. After that, the consulting organization provided the final draft.

“During these six months, we have tried to understand the general approach and the direction we should move towards. The entire responsibility for this transport system lies with the current authorities, which is why we are also somewhat cautious in order to make an informed decision, as the current transport system is not in good shape and we face challenges,” noted Hrachya Sargsyan.

Emphasizing the importance of active work with the professional group, the first deputy mayor has expected to present proposals regarding the operation criteria of the new route network, which will enable the calculation of the final fare.

“We are reaching the final phase where various calculations related to these criteria need to be made. The last report includes a calculated fare, but it is a general estimated fare, and it does not account for the criteria that the city wants to have. These criteria will have a direct impact on fare formation,” added the first deputy mayor.

During the Q&A session, members of the working group presented their suggestions and comments regarding the service of the new route network, the technical capabilities of the planned buses, fare calculation, development of electric transport, particularly the modernization of the trolleybus network, and several other issues.

Currently, instead of the existing 111 bus routes, the new transport network proposes 42 routes, which will significantly reduce the number of vehicles. A total of 845 buses and 101 trolleybuses are planned to be operated. The number of buses includes reserve vehicles, which constitute 15 percent of the total. The length of the network will be reduced by more than three times. This does not mean that coverage will decrease; rather, it will reduce duplicate lines. This will allow for significant savings during the implementation and operation of the network, greatly alleviating the fare burden.

Summarizing the results of the meeting, the first deputy mayor of Yerevan mentioned that such discussions will take place more frequently in the near future in order to arrive at a final solution.