Head of NGO urges government to accelerate replacement of vans by buses

YEREVAN, June 13. /ARKA/.  Armen Poghosian, chairman of a non-governmental organization defending consumers’ interests, urged the government today to live up to its promise and cut the number of minibuses in the capital as quick as possible. The Yerevan Municipality has a plan to cut the number of minibuses, and increase the number of larger buses as part of a broader program to improve public transport services.

Speaking at a news conference, Mr. Poghosian, head of the Association of Consumers’ Rights, said under the city’s master plan the number of minibuses in the capital should have been cut from 90 percent (of the overall public transportation) to 19.2%, however, the authorities have reduced their number only by 20 percent so far.

Earlier this year Armenia brought in 249 Chinese buses, a donation of Beijing to the people of Armenia and will bring in 300 more buses, but Poghosian argued that this number of buses will hardly resolve the public transportation problem of the city because ‘Chinese buses are of low quality.’

Under a plan to take the traffic brunt off the central streets the number of minibuses is to be cut by 800. Yerevan’s master plan designed up to 2020 was adopted in 2005. Its implementation is estimated to cost around $25 billion. -0-