Why and How 167 Bus Drivers Were Dismissed in Yerevan: Clarification

The announcement by the Yerevan municipality regarding the dismissal of 167 drivers from "Yerevan Bus" LLC since the beginning of the year has resulted from a misunderstanding. In an interview with journalists, the newly appointed director of the company, Beglar Kirakosyan, stated that this number was actually provided to the municipality over a one-year period.

It should be noted that on July 9, the press secretary of the Yerevan mayor, Hayk Kostanyan, reported that between January 1 and June 30, 167 drivers had been dismissed from "Yerevan Bus" LLC. He mentioned that the reasons for the dismissals included improper treatment of citizens, repeated violations during driving, as well as other service issues.

“There has been a misunderstanding; we had submitted the data from June 2023 to June 2024, indicating that 167 bus drivers had been dismissed. Four of them had their contracts terminated due to death, while seven were dismissed by us, and the remaining ones left according to their own requests,” said the company director.

In response to a question from Sputnik Armenia, Kirakosyan emphasized that the reasons for the dismissals varied. There have been cases of contract violations, behavioral issues, interpersonal problems, and some individuals underwent surgery or changed jobs. He personally dismissed 2-3 individuals; in one instance, there was inappropriate behavior towards a cleaning staff member, and in another case, a driver consumed alcohol after work in the bus depot.

“I don’t believe we should have to remind drivers not to drink alcohol in the depot. I spoke with that person and asked the reason, and he said that no one had ever warned him that drinking in the depot was prohibited. We cannot let such individuals drive,” Kirakosyan stated.

Addressing complaints received about driver behavior, the company's director highlighted that they have been receiving numerous calls recently regarding air conditioning; some complain that it is on, while others say it is off. There are also instances where complaints regarding drivers smoking or exhibiting rude behavior are examined, and it often turns out that the calls were unfounded. Additionally, drivers have also reported incidents of rude and disrespectful behavior from passengers.

"Yerevan Bus" LLC has a total of 1,614 driver positions in its staff schedule, but currently, only 1,182 are filled. Kirakosyan assured that there is no need to fill vacant positions at this time, as the number of drivers corresponds to the number of vehicles in the fleet.