INCREASE TROLLEY BUSES. THEY’RE BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: YEREVAN CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION
epress.am
06.28.2011
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.