VIDEO: Does Paying Only with 100 Dram Coins Constitute a Violation? City Hall's Response

Starting from November 1, in the context of the reforms in the transport system and the implementation of a unified ticketing system by the Yerevan City Hall, it will be necessary to use a QR code via an application when using surface transport, and exclusively with the presence of 100 dram coins.

Currently, our fellow citizens are reporting to Auroranews that accepting payments only with 100 dram coins poses difficulties and is also outside of legal regulations. Specifically, according to the Law on Currency Regulations, no restrictions can be imposed on currency transactions. This means that when making a financial transaction, citizens can pay with any monetary means.

Is the Yerevan City Hall circumventing the law by changing the payment system for transport? To clarify the issue, Auroranews contacted the Yerevan City Hall. “In fact, we are not saying that payments must be made exclusively with 100 dram coins. The idea of 100 dram came about because the payment devices installed on buses only accept 100 dram coins. Since the transition to a unified ticketing system will take place in a short period, the community did not invest additional resources to enable those devices to accept denominations from 50 to 500 dram,” said Hayk Kostanyan, the spokesperson for the Mayor of Yerevan, in our conversation.

As an alternative, the city hall suggests other payment options. “If people think that acquiring 100 dram coins will cause difficulties, there are other payment methods available. In particular, payments can also be made via the application. Furthermore, if citizens do not wish to fill in personal information when registering in the application, another alternative is proposed. Through available devices in various parts of Yerevan, QR codes can be purchased and payments can be made in that way without identification. Currently, payments are being made in the Metro using this principle. If the only option was to pay with 100 dram coins, I myself as a citizen would be dissatisfied. However, since there are two alternative options, I don't think that's a serious issue,” added Kostanyan.

The spokesperson for the mayor also addressed the potential difficulties that pensioners might face when making payments. “This same conversation occurred when pensions started to be paid via card methods. Perhaps it was inconvenient for pensioners initially, but today most people are making payments with cards, withdrawing cash, and performing other transactions,” Kostanyan concluded.

In any case, starting in three days, a new payment paradigm for using city transport will be implemented in the capital. We hope that the system will not collapse. Auroranews will stay on top of this issue. We will continue to cover any problems that arise during the payment process and publish reports. We are also ready to inform our fellow citizens as much as possible about the ways to utilize public transport.