Today, I saw a news report where the Head of the Transportation Department of the Yerevan Municipality, Henrik Navasardyan, was going to work and was returning from work by the city transport. The fixed route minibusses and buses where the official gets on were in good condition, everybody had a seat, the seats were not torn, all the windows were closing, not a single drop was falling from the upper holes. As always, our functionaries “meet” another reality than we, the ordinary citizens.
Today, I also went to work by public transport. In the morning, at 8 o’clock, I got on N 74 fixed-route minibus from my house in Zovuni district which became full so quickly that there was no room to stop in the next bus-stops. (But let me again state the positive sides of our nation that people were helping each other in this distress, those who were sitting were taking the bags of those who were standing, were trying to share the seat, were smiling at each other, parents were taking their children to school giving much importance to the education). At 8:45 o’clock, in Ajapnyak district, on the Arzumanyan-Halabyan intersection, I got on bus N8 where people were so packed that the door could not be closed behind me for a long time.
We are living with the authorities in different, parallel to each other and not crossing realities. I would not say that their life is lighter and brighter than ours, simply they have, so to speak, “other type” of problems that have nothing to do with the transport, electricity, gas rent, as well as repaying loans and debts. In particular, they are not waiting when they will receive a salary to pay all this and do not fall into depression when they see the monthly bill for gas in the winter season. Followed by this logic, it seems to them that the situation is satisfactory in the public transport.
In reality, the Yerevan Municipality failed to solve this problem unlike the garbage removal where progress is evident. It is said that there will be investments but wait for the rise in fees. Generally, it is logical. But I have a fear that even after this rise, I will be sitting in my described fixed route minibusses which in my opinion should be totally eliminated as means of urban transport.
I dream of the time when I will buy a single urban transport ticket from the ATM or a kiosk as it is done in the European cities so that the drivers will be busy with only driving their vehicles and receive their salaries rather than fighting against each other to “accomplish the daily fixed plan.” As the authorities were unable to organize this for 25 years, then this situation is necessary to someone.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
