Increase Trolley Buses. They’re Better for the Environment: Yerevan Consumers Association

Armen Poghosyan, head of a local consumers association, has issued an open letter to RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and Yerevan mayor Karen Karapetyan in which he states that the public transportation system in Yerevan does not meet the basic needs of its residents.

Poghosyan notes that it is minibuses (commonly referred to as “marshrutkas”) that are the primary form of public transport, followed by buses.

“It is clear that minibuses, according to their technical characteristics, are not designed for transporting passengers of a city of millions, particularly in their current packed and worn state. However, increasing the fleet of buses we consider to be only a partial solution since even if we consider that buses with their background noise and comfort don’t yield to trolley buses, all the same, they bring about economic and environmental issues,” reads the letter, in part.

As a solution, Poghosyan suggests increasing the fleet of trolley buses, believing that consumption of imported fuel will be replaced by an increase in using electricity produced in Armenia. The head of the consumers’ association believes that this will decrease the country’s dependence on imported fuel, as well as diversifying the public transportation system.

Furthermore, making electric transport the pillar of the capital’s transport system will significantly reduce air pollution, Poghosyan adds.