Which Routes Will Be Replaced by New Buses? City Hall Outlines Upcoming Steps

The Yerevan City Hall has presented steps regarding the gradual reforms being undertaken in the transport sector. According to the information posted on the City Hall's website, it is stated that:

1. The process of reforming the surface public transportation system in Yerevan involves the implementation of a new unified ticketing system. As the most interested party, the Yerevan City Hall is currently taking specific practical steps, which are expected to be completed by the end of this year. Meanwhile, to temporarily organize the fare collection process in the newly imported small and medium-sized buses in the capital, new coin acceptors have been installed with the aim of regulating the fare payment process and minimizing driver-passenger interactions. Considering the demand for 100 dram coins in public transport, bus drivers will be provided with a certain amount of change to facilitate passenger payments.
2. The introduction of new medium-class "Zhong Tong" brand buses (211 units) and small-class "Gazelle" buses (100 units) imported to Yerevan is being conducted separately, in small batches, due to preceding technical and organizational measures that require a certain timeframe. These new buses will mainly service routes with high passenger flows. At the same time, the technical condition of the current fleet is unsatisfactory, and the actual number of vehicles does not ensure regular passenger service. The small class "Gazelle" buses serving routes 97 and 99 have been replaced with new buses, as the actual passenger flow on these routes was very high and could not be efficiently managed by small-class buses. Additionally, other routes serviced by small-class buses like "Higer" and "Gazelle" will also be replaced by "Zhong Tong" buses to allow the freed small-class buses to operate on routes where the existing road infrastructure cannot accommodate medium-class buses.
3. In the near future, the operation of the next batch of new buses will be organized on several routes, further information will be provided on this.

It is also noted that for the further regulation of the regular passenger transport processes in Yerevan, a new batch of large class buses will be procured and imported to the capital this year. This will enable the final cessation of microbus operations by private companies and significantly improve passenger service.