City Hall Acquires Mini Buses, Not Microbuses – Hakob Karapetyan

The spokesperson for the Yerevan City Hall, Hakob Karapetyan, has stated on his Facebook page that the city is facing significant transportation challenges, and additional complications are emerging in resolving them due to the unpredictability of the purchasing process and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“Facebook reminds us that exactly a year ago, ‘Sanitek’ completely refused to service the city. This marked the last phase of the waste crisis; within a few weeks, the ESMA that was rising, took full control of the situation, and the city was finally freed from the nightmare of waste management. During those days and for months prior, some of our opposition colleagues tried in every way to undermine the actions of city officials regarding waste collection reforms, casting doubts about the legality of acquiring garbage trucks, thus provoking unnecessary appeals that delayed the process by weeks. Ultimately, the waste issue was resolved, and ‘Sanitek’ and its overflowing bins are now a distant memory, but the behavior of our dear colleagues during the ‘waste wars’ they unleashed will remain vivid in our hearts :)

We are now in a somewhat similar situation; the city has serious transportation issues, and additional challenges are arising in resolving them, related to the unpredictability of the purchasing process and the coronavirus pandemic, among other things. Furthermore, our same colleagues are trying to ‘cloud the picture’ through media bubbles and initially cast doubt on the effectiveness of the transport reform.

In this regard, let me clarify that the city is not ordering any specific brand of vehicle but is instead ordering conditions that potential suppliers must meet. With the current procurement process, the city has ordered 100 small-capacity buses, which are required to have, among other features:

• Heating and ventilation capability (air conditioning) in the passenger compartment,
• A compartment height that allows passengers to stand upright comfortably,
• The ability to connect ticketing and GPS devices in the driver’s cabin,
• Automatic stop announcement systems,
• Low floor design,
• The ability to accommodate and transport disabled individuals and their wheelchairs,
• Buttons for stop announcements next to seats designated for persons with disabilities and adjacent to wheelchair spaces, etc.

All competition conditions can be reviewed on the Yerevan.am website. This competition has already concluded, and the evaluation committee is expected to provide conclusions in the coming days, after which the process for supplying the buses will follow.

Indeed, this is an unprecedented purchase, as the community has not independently procured public transport vehicles for a long time. The acquisition of small buses does NOT signify that the city is abandoning large buses. On the contrary, a new competition for 12-meter buses will be announced in the near future. The transportation reform is the highest priority for the Yerevan city administration, and it will undoubtedly be implemented.

In the photograph, a representative mini bus is shown. Approximately 100 buses similar to this model have been ordered.