211 Buses Soon to Arrive in Yerevan with 16-17 New Bus Routes

The fleet of buses in Yerevan will soon be complemented by an additional 211 buses this October, which will establish 16-17 new bus routes in the capital.

In an interview with Armenpress, Yerevan Mayor's spokesperson Hakob Karapetyan stated, "The buses will be put into operation in the coming weeks following their arrival in Yerevan. According to Armenian legal regulations, every eight vehicles in the transport fleet must have one in reserve, meaning about 30 out of the 211 will be kept as reserve. Approximately 180 buses will be deployed on the routes. Considering that each route will have 8-12 buses, we expect to have about 16-17 new bus routes."

He noted that the implementation of these buses is expected to bring significant changes to Yerevan's public transport sector. Speaking on the payment system, Karapetyan emphasized that a unified electronic payment system is anticipated to be in place by that time.

"The system will allow payments to be made via separate cards that need to be purchased in advance, or through bank cards. Several cities in Europe have similar systems, and there won't be any option for passengers to give cash to the driver," the mayor's spokesperson said.

Addressing the disciplinary measures against drivers of the newly operated buses, Karapetyan acknowledged that such cases have occurred. "There are bus drivers who have been dismissed, and others who have received warnings. One of the reasons has been smoking at the wheel," Karapetyan stressed, adding that the number of applicants responding to the announcement for new drivers has been low, with little competition.

The buses were ceremonially dispatched from the factory in Liaocheng, China, on July 31, heading to the port of Shanghai. From there, they will be shipped to the port of Poti, and subsequently transported to Yerevan.