GOVERNMENTS REVEALS BIASED APPROACH TO DRIVERS, SAYS ARFD PARLIAMENTARIAN

Noyan Tapan
Apr 8, 2009

Yerevan, April 8, Noyan Tapan: Requiring from private taxi drivers
to get out of use vehicles used longer than 10 years, the government
does not raise the problem of fixed-run taxis. Meanwhile, the most
of fixed-run taxis were produced 15 and more years ago. This problem
was raised by the member of ARF "Dashnaktsutyun" fraction of the
Parliament Vahan Hovhannisian on April 8 in the National Assembly of
Armenia. According to him, in respect of safe transportation of the
passengers and environmental issues, fixed-run taxis carry greater
number of passengers and they create greater risk of polluting
the atmosphere. He questioned, whether "this biased approach is
conditioned by the fact that private drivers are unprotected, while
behind fixed-run taxi drivers the owners of the routs stand". As the
minister of transport and communication Gurgen Sargsian explained,
the terms of usage of fixed-run taxis are conditioned by rout service
permits, which will be expired soon.

When new permits are issued, old vehicles will cease to be used,
assured the minister.