PASSENGER TRAFFIC BY BUSES IN YEREVAN IS UNPROFITABLE: YEREVAN MUNICIPALITY EXPERT SAYS

ArmInfo
2009-11-27 15:48:00

ArmInfo. Passenger traffic by medium-size and big buses in Yerevan
in unprofitable and needs government subsidies, Karen Hakobyan,
the expert of the Yerevan Municipality Department for Transport,
told media on Friday.

He said private companies import buses and organize traffic. The expert
could not answer ArmInfo’s question why private companies operate at
a loss and how they cover their losses. He said that 280 out of 384
buses in Armenia run their routes every day. The Municipality plans
to increase the number of buses to 800, their number will be enough
to replace microbuses hindering traffic in the city. Unlike buses,
microbuses work with profit, since their share is 76% of the total
traffic.

The government subsidizes only electric transport. There are nearly 100
trolleybuses in Yerevan. Over the last two years 36 new trolleybuses
were imported. "For some unknown reason the citizens of Yerevan prefer
crowded microbuses to trolleybuses," K. Hakobyan said.

The Yerevan underground was put into service in 1982 and no new
stations or sections have been built since then.