Passengers and Drivers to Be Fined for Not Wearing Masks in Public Transport

Starting October 8, the Urban Development, Technical and Fire Safety Inspection Body (UDTFI) in Yerevan is implementing stricter monitoring of public transport operations. Twice a day, inspections are conducted to check the presence of masks and disinfectants among passengers in public transportation and taxi vehicles, as reported by Haykakan Jamanak.

Previously, only the organization serving a specific route was held accountable for passengers not wearing masks in public transport. However, beginning October 8, the approach has changed: passengers will be fined individually for not wearing a mask, as well as the driver and the organization operating the route separately.

Arthur Arabachyan, head of the Transportation Safety Division of the UDTFI Yerevan Territorial Department, stated in an interview with Haykakan Jamanak that the overall picture regarding adherence to anti-epidemic rules is not very satisfactory. “Our challenges are the passengers; they generally do not wear masks. Almost everyone has a mask with them but doesn’t put it on,” he noted.

According to the territorial division chief, from October 8 to 12, 663 public transport vehicles were monitored, resulting in 106 reports being compiled. Arabachyan pointed out that only minor positive changes were observed during the October 8-12 period, as passengers were somewhat alerted to the administrative proceedings being initiated against them.

In cases where a passenger does not wear a mask, the police issue a report with a fine amounting to 10,000 AMD, which is the same for drivers. Additionally, the report against the organization operating the public transport is prepared by the Armenian Health and Labor Inspection Body. If an administrative case is initiated, the consequences can range from a warning to a fine of up to 300,000 AMD, with repeat offenses resulting in fines ranging from 150,000 to 500,000 AMD.

Interestingly, since this morning, some bus drivers have been keeping bags with masks and distributing them to passengers without masks. Arabachyan indicated that this is a demonstration of the drivers’ goodwill. “We have summoned the directors of all companies operating regular routes and have sternly warned them to conduct awareness and explanatory work among their drivers. I believe that they, knowing very well that administrative proceedings are primarily initiated against them, provide masks to drivers so that they can distribute them as needed,” he concluded.