Yerevan prepares to buy 170 electric buses and rules out banning drivers from the regions
- Published
- Place
- Yerevan, Armenia
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
Yerevan’s city hall is preparing a tender for 170 electric buses to replace its ageing Higer diesel buses, Mayor Tigran Avinyan told parliamentary committees examining the 2027 budget on 9 November. The new vehicles will be similar in size to the Zhongtong buses already in service. Their funding is not yet included in the draft state budget: the city hopes it will be added. A second purchase, of 250 electric buses, is being prepared; its specifications will be set after a consultants’ report expected in November. The same day, the mayor denied any plan to bar drivers from Armenia’s regions from entering the capital, after a row sparked by an interview in which his deputy, Suren Grigoryan, discussed park-and-ride car parks.
Analysis
City hall’s line is unchanged: priority for public transport, more bus lanes and fewer cars in some districts. Residents must be able to count on buses arriving at the posted times, Avinyan insisted. On the metro, the government has given final approval to the modernisation programme. The draft 2027 budget earmarks 2 billion drams for building Ajapnyak station, Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan said.
Possible consequences
According to the minister, extra funds will be released if work on Ajapnyak station moves faster than planned.
