Hayk Marutyan Held a Protest: He Finds the Hike in the Price of a Single Trip from 100 Drams Unacceptable
Public transportation in Yerevan will operate with new fare rates starting February 1. On November 5, 2024, the former mayor of Yerevan and leader of the “New Forces” party, Hayk Marutyan, organized protests. He opposed the increase in the fare for a single trip from 100 (it will become 300 drams). Marutyan also initiated a petition. It was joined by around 76,000 citizens.
Marutyan considers the new rates unacceptable for the people and emphasizes the need to fight against them, asserting that “these are truly unbelievable conditions for people.”
He mentioned that one form of protest could be students organizing strikes or workers participating in labor strikes. Another option could be for people to avoid using public transport entirely or to pay 100 drams and then bypass the system. According to Marutyan, if people protest in large numbers, the city authorities will have no choice but to reconsider their decision.
He also revealed that a draft decision has been submitted to the Yerevan City Council, proposing to maintain all the packages offered but with an additional point stating that a single trip should remain at 100 drams.
Marutyan called on the Yerevan Municipality to disclose how many people have purchased packages from the new unified ticketing system since January 1, under the condition that the 100 dram fare for a single trip is still in place.