Yerevan mayor proposes measures against stowaways 

ArmInfo. Yerevan City Hall will begin a fight against citizens who refuse to pay for public transport. During a working meeting of the City Hall on February 17, Mayor Tigran Avinyan proposed moving on to specific measures against citizens who boycott the unified ticket system. He noted that everything necessary should be done so that people who today justify their unwillingness to pay for public transport can no longer resort to these excuses. 

Avinyan said that a certain part of the city's residents refuse to  pay for travel because they consider the increase in fares  unjustified, while the rest simply take advantage of the opportunity  to travel for free amid the boycott. At the same time, he noted that  the number of those boycotting does not correspond to the indicators  that the opposition appeals to. However, this also causes, as the  mayor put it, relatively significant damage to the city budget. In  addition, he referred to various conflict situations in public  transport, when citizens refuse to pay.

, - said the mayor. He also touched upon one unpleasant situation  related to a citizen with a disability. A video of this incident was  circulated on social networks, which clearly shows how the driver of  route bus #48 insulted and rudely threw an elderly man with a cane  out of the transport for not paying the fare. It should be noted that  the citizen did not refuse to pay, but simply did not know how to do  it. But the mayor of Yerevan did not express any dissatisfaction in  connection with such an outrageous case, did not condemn the driver  for such an attitude towards the elderly person, but only began to  talk about the need for more effective information of citizens about  the available transport packages within the framework of a single  ticket system. According to him, given the physiological  characteristics, it is possible that travel for this citizen could be  free.

In general, as Avinyan noted, within the framework of the unified  ticket system, benefits apply to 850 thousand citizens of Armenia,  but not only from Yerevan, but from the regions of the country.

On February 1, a new fare for public transport came into force in  Yerevan - 150 drams instead of the previous 100 drams. The mayor's  office also developed package offers for 30, 90 and 365 days. The  opposition in the Council of Elders called for a boycott of this  decision, strongly recommending that city residents continue to pay  the old fare. Since February 1, a boycott has been held in Yerevan  against the increase in transport prices. During the protests,  opposition members of the Council of Elders repeatedly stated that  drivers do not have the right to demand money or to disembark  passengers for non-payment.

Citizens of Armenia have the constitutional right to strike to  protect their economic, social and labor interests. According to the  new rules, public transport drivers do not have the authority to  control the payment of fares, and any demands on strikers are illegal  from the point of view of human rights activists.

In general, as Avinyan noted, within the framework of the unified  ticket system, benefits apply to 850 thousand citizens of Armenia,  but not only from Yerevan, but from the regions of the country.