Public transport fares to rise in Armenia
By Sabina Idayatova
Yerevan Mayor's Office will decide and announce until the end of this week how much the public transport fare will be raised in Armenia, and it is likely to increase by 50 percent, the local media reported.
The Armenian Commission on Public Service approved on June 7 new tariffs for gas and electricity. According to the decision of the commission, subscribers who consume up to 10,000 cubic meters of gas a month will pay 156 drams instead of the previous 132 drams per cubic meter of natural gas (1 USD = 410.3749 AMD).
The new fees mostly affected transport companies as they hoped the Armenian government would either raise the transport fees or reduce taxes after the rise of gas fees in the country.
About 60-65 shipping companies operating in Armenia have warned of launching a strike unless the problems resulting from the gas and diesel fuel price hikes are solved within two months.
However, an official at the Armenian Transport Ministry, David Mekoyan, said on July 9 that passenger transportation fees cannot be increased without relevant permission.
In order to change the fares it is necessary to apply to the Mayor's Office, regional executive authorities and the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
The current fare for buses and minibuses, 100 drams, is expected to rise to 150 drams. Yerevan Mayor's Office official Arthur Gevorgyan said that different entities operating fixed-route lines in their request to the Mayor Office on raising transport fares offered to set the fare at 160-200 drams.