Yerevan Public Transport Drivers Now Responsible for Fare Collection, Sparking Debate
Yerevan, April 15 – A recent directive from Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan has mandated that all public transport drivers participate in the fare collection process. This decision, announced on April 6, aims to improve revenue collection, with the Mayor emphasizing that drivers’ involvement is crucial for overtime pay and is stipulated in their employment contracts. However, this move has ignited a discussion regarding driver safety and potential distractions, particularly in the challenging traffic conditions of Yerevan.
Former Official Raises Safety Concerns
Edgar Galstyan, former head of the Yerevan Municipality Transport Department, expressed his concerns in an interview with Sputnik Armenia. He argued that involving drivers in fare collection distracts them from their primary duty of driving and potentially compromises passenger safety.
“In all civilized countries, public transport drivers have a separate cabin to avoid contact with passengers. The reason is that their work is already stressful, and passengers can have various moods, be tired, or simply have difficult personalities. Drivers shouldn’t have to interact with these people. Now we are told to interact with passengers. But how can this be, especially in our traffic, where the situation is terrible – roads have potholes or road markings are absent?” Galstyan stated.
Increased Validation Rates and Incidents
Despite the concerns, Mayor Avinyan announced on April 13, one week after the directive, that the number of public transport validation transactions in Yerevan had increased by 15-30% compared to the previous week. However, this period also saw incidents between drivers and passengers, leading to three arrests.
The Role of Controllers and Systemic Issues
In addition to instructing drivers, the Yerevan Municipality has also announced vacancies for controllers to supplement the fare collection process. Galstyan believes that while the presence of controllers might partially alleviate some issues, it cannot fundamentally solve the systemic problems of the public transport system.
“With the presence of controllers, something will partially be fixed, but the situation cannot affect the entire process. It is necessary to fully ensure a normal rolling stock working on a correct schedule, so that people reach point ‘A’ from point ‘B’ in a predictable time, and public transport is comfortable. Otherwise, no matter how many controllers they add, they will not succeed,” Galstyan noted.
Galstyan deems non-payment of fares unacceptable but refrains from blaming citizens, suggesting that authorities have failed to properly regulate the issue. He asserts that citizens are not fighting against price increases but rather against the failure of reforms.
Future Outlook
The implementation of this new policy continues to be a topic of debate in Yerevan. While the municipality aims to improve fare collection efficiency, the concerns raised by former officials and the reported incidents highlight the complexities of balancing operational needs with driver and passenger safety in the city’s public transport system.
Source: https://www.golosarmenii.am/arm/%D5%BE%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%B8%D6%80%D5%A4%D5%A8-%D5%B6%D5%A1%D6%87-%D5%B0%D5%BD%D5%AF%D5%AB%D5%9E%D5%B9-%D5%A7%E2%80%A4-%D5%B6%D5%A1%D5%AD%D5%AF%D5%AB%D5%B6-%D5%BA%D5%A1%D5%B7%D5%BF%D5%B8%D5%B6%D5%B5%D5%A1/
