VIDEO: 'They said either you transport people for 500 drams, or you don't drive at all' - Tension in Abovyan

In Abovyan, taxi drivers are being forced to transport citizens for 500 drams instead of the usual 400 drams to Yerevan. Local residents have reported this issue to Auroranews.

“A dictatorial atmosphere has been created here. Representatives of the ‘Multi Transport’ company are imposing that drivers no longer transport us to Yerevan for 400 drams. They try to make it so that the price of buses is considerably lower than that of taxis, forcing people to use the buses instead,” said one of the concerned citizens who contacted us.

According to them, the man in a white shirt shown in the video is a representative of the company, a dispatcher, who “intrudes” into vehicles to ask questions.

Auroranews spoke with the Mayor of Abovyan, Eduard Babayan, about this issue. Babayan stated that the problem falls under the jurisdiction of the company and the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure (MTAI), but added that, as the Mayor of Abovyan, he does not regard the situation as normal.

“I went to the site to understand the problem; I have called the taxi drivers and the company representatives to meet with us. They agreed on how they should operate and went on their way. For me, of course, it is not normal to have someone tell a person to take a bus instead of getting into a car,” the mayor noted.

Babayan also provided us with the contact number of Arthur, a representative of ‘Multi Transport’ handling this issue; however, in response to our inquiry, he claimed that it was the first time he had heard about such a problem. “First, we need to determine what a taxi is. Unlawful transportations from public transport stops are not considered taxis, and they do not have the right to conduct such transports. Our employees do not allow and will not allow such incidents,” he stated.

When asked how it comes that they have allowed this for so long, he replied, “This is not about our permission.”

Regarding the question of why they are not allowing it now, he said, “I believe you do not want any kind of illegal transportations to occur in the country.”

When asked if he is a representative of the law enforcement system determining what is legal or illegal and imposing restrictions, he replied, “No. Illegal transports at stops that may hinder regular transports are prohibited by the subordinates.”

A spokesperson for MTAI told us that this issue is not only occurring in Abovyan but also in almost all regions where such illegal transports are carried out. When asked what measures the ministry has taken to eliminate this illegality, they noted, “This issue is being discussed periodically. The ministry cannot tell citizens whether to get into this vehicle or not.”

Auroranews also inquired with the drivers of vehicles conducting passenger transport whether they have been given such a demand and if they represent any taxi service, as well as how legal their operations are. “Yes, we have been told that either we transport for 500 drams, or we do not drive at all. Many of us are Yandex drivers,” they responded.

The police informed Auroranews that the officer visible in the video approached citizens around 9:00 a.m. “Citizens complained that there are few buses.”

Auroranews is keeping the citizens' complaints under close attention.

It is noteworthy that since May 2, 2022, a single operator has been conducting passenger transport in the Kotayk region. The winning ‘Multi Transport’ company is obliged to ensure traffic in the region for 10 years. Residents have been reporting that the fare has increased by 15-100%. At that time, Martine Gevorgyan, a resident of Nor Hajn, mentioned in a conversation with “News” that the Abovyan-Yerevan route fare has increased from 200 drams to 300 drams. “There were instances where people came to Abovyan from its villages for 150 drams, but now that 150 has doubled to 300. Imagine the situation for a family where two students need to study in Yerevan,” he stated.