Epress.am News from Armenia
The Yerevan-Etchmiadzin-Yerevan public transport minibuses (more commonly referred to as “marshrutkas”) now stop in the area adjacent to the central bus station (Kilikia) in Yerevan — previously, the final stop was at the start of Mashtots Ave. (closer to downtown Yerevan).
As previously reported, the final stops in Yerevan of several inter-city public transport minibuses were moved about 10 days ago. It was only the Etchmiadzin route that made the change later than the rest. Earlier, Epress.am had reported that residents from Armenia’s regions coming to the capital were not happy about the change, believing that it was a move by the city to force passengers to ride the metro after subway fares doubled early this month, especially as a large number of the stops had moved near the Gordzaranayin and Sasuntsi David stops.
Passengers at the Yerevan-Etchmiadzin minibus stop expressed their discontent, saying “Now we have to pay an extra 100 drams [the cost of a one-way public transport fare] to get to the bus station.”
An Epress.am reporter also went to the former stop where two people who didn’t wish to identify themselves were telling passengers the new stop is at the bus station. “No marshrutka will be stopping here from now on. Go to the bus station.”
When a passenger complained out loud, saying “They do whatever comes across their mind; they don’t even tell people ahead of time or they don’t say, people, are you able to pay I-don’t-know-how-much for transportation,” one of the two men loudly said, “Yerevan is my city — whatever my boss says, that’s how it’ll be. The marshrutkas from the marzes [regions] shouldn’t drive into the city.”
Note, Yerevan taxi drivers stopped at the former bus stop were offering rides to Etchmiadzin. Passengers could be heard saying, “I’ll go with a Yerevan taxi, but I won’t go to the bust station. Well let me see what they’re going to do. It’s good, Yerevan taxi drivers have their work cut out for them [as they get more passengers].”