That is not for Avinyan's father. Gagik Melkonyan

At a time when the dollar was worth 30 rubles in Russia, the transport fare was one dollar, and it has remained that way since then. Public transport fares are high everywhere. This was noted by Gagik Melkonyan, a member of the ruling My Step Alliance, in a conversation with NEWS.am, commenting on the rise in transport fares and public discontent.

“In our case, the fare for 'Gazelles' was 100 drams, but now you see the kind of transport we have acquired, where a person does not bend over anymore, the air conditioners are working, and the heaters are operating. All of Europe uses this type of transport, and when you see these new buses, it makes you proud, whether you want to or not. Before, Yerevan was a 'Gazelle' city; now it has become a city with modern buses. That transport has its price. Money is needed to acquire these buses,” he stated.

The MP noted that if a person uses the bus four times a day, their monthly fare comes to about 80-90 drams. “It just needs to be explained correctly for the people to understand properly. If a person uses the bus 2-3 times, or if tourists from abroad are using it—if a tourist comes here from Moscow, they may even pay 500 drams,” he disclosed.

In response to the observation that the mayor initially stated that the fare could not be reduced, but recently lowered the fare from 300 drams to 150 drams, which suggests that the government has no calculations, Gagik Melkonyan said, “There is a subsidy issue here. It’s not that this 150 drams will fully solve the issues. After all, a person used to pay 300 drams, and now it has been reduced to 150 drams: the packages remain for those who use public transport frequently; their fare is less than 100 drams.”

Regarding the issue that on one hand they are raising transport fares, waste collection fees, and property taxes while on the other hand people see Yerevan's Mayor Tigran Avinyan purchasing a $20 million ticket to the U.S. and a $650,000 villa, Gagik Melkonyan remarked, “Let’s not mix personal wool with state wool. What he buys or doesn’t buy, he has those answers; that’s his personal matter. We are talking about transport and the reforms being carried out for our people. This is not for Avinyan's father or for anyone else’s father; this is for the people.”