Fare to Yerevan Increases by 1000 Drams for Citizens: Takhouhi Tovmasyan

Various residents from the Gegharkunik region have been complaining for several days about the changes in the route of passenger transport to Yerevan. This was reported by Takhouhi Tovmasyan, a member of the ‘My Step’ faction of the National Assembly, on her Facebook page, where she titled her post: “Getting from the village to the city is becoming a problem.”

She specifically wrote: “What is the problem? Previously, people could reach the central ‘Kilikia’ bus station in Yerevan, but due to the instruction from the Mayor of Yerevan, they can now only reach the ‘Northern’ bus station, from where they are forced to spend extra money—at least 1000 drams—for a taxi to get to Yerevan and address their daily issues. It turns out that the fare to Yerevan has increased for citizens by at least 1000 drams.”

“Why by taxi? Because in many cases, people come from the region with large backpacks and heavy loads, making it technically impossible to use public transport. Fully aware of Yerevan's congestion problem and the need to implement measures for decongestion, it should be emphasized that these measures must not infringe on the rights of others. Otherwise, a situation arises where people pay money to reach Yerevan but do not actually arrive.”

Moreover, the mayor's directive, which incidentally derives from Article 10, Part 2 of the Law on “Automobile Transport” of the Republic of Armenia—“Inter-regional regular bus transport routes are organized by the authorized body in cooperation with the territorial administrative bodies, coordinating the routes passing through the administrative area of Yerevan with the Mayor of Yerevan”—creates another global issue. This kind of pressure on intercity routes will gradually lead to the cessation of their operation, just like what happened with several routes from various regions, when illegal taxis operating secretly in the field replaced these routes.

I believe it is advisable to consider how many citizens' rights are being violated and what issues are being solved in return before making decisions. For instance, the Vardenis-Yerevan passenger transport operates 12 vehicles, of which hardly 10 work a day. Will the streets of the capital be decongested with a ban on just 10 vehicles?

Thus, if this instruction from the Mayor of Yerevan is unchangeable, then restoring the violated rights of people becomes a necessity for the Yerevan Municipality—ensuring free transportation from the ‘Northern’ bus station to Yerevan, with the possibility of comfortable transport for large luggage. I hope that the issue will be solved in a mutually acceptable manner, and people won’t have to raise concerns and solve issues by closing the highway.