Traveling in Close Quarters: Why Are Passengers Not Being Penalized for Overcrowding in Buses?

Auroranews has received numerous calls regarding transport issues in Yerevan. Citizens particularly note, “We are fined for lowering our masks just to breathe for five minutes on the street, yet there are no conditions in place for us to move around normally in public transport. Go to any stop and see if you can find an empty bus. We commute to work shoulder-to-shoulder and return home in the same way. There have been instances where we have waited an hour at the stop after finishing work, hoping to at least take a bus that isn’t overly crowded, but to no avail.”

According to the complaining citizens, the authorities are turning a blind eye to all of this. “This is pure negligence. Where are the representatives of the authorities who impose fines on us? They fine us for walking outside, fearing we might get infected or that there might be a second wave of the virus, but they are unable to find any solutions to ensure that people can maintain a distance of 20 cm from each other in buses. Everything they do is superficial and formal. Do they think we should spend the meager salaries we receive on taxis?”

Auroranews contacted the press secretary of the Yerevan Mayor, Hakob Karapetyan, to understand whether the number of buses in Yerevan has been reduced.

“The number of buses in Yerevan has decreased by approximately 15 percent. For various reasons, 187 bus routes are no longer operational. Some have reached the end of their service life, while some route owners have simply reduced the number of buses,” said the municipal press secretary.

Mr. Karapetyan noted that by the end of this year, the Yerevan bus network will be supplemented with 100 new minivans. “We are also preparing to announce a new competition for another batch, this time we plan to purchase buses as well,” he added.