YEREVAN./ARKA/. The Municipality of Yerevan intends to acquire 250 new electric buses, which will replace the existing Chinese-made HIGER buses and Russian-made GAZel-City minibuses.
“The financial framework for the electric bus acquisition initiative has been completely established; it is projected to cost around 98 billion drams and will be financed through international loans, particularly with assistance from the Asian Development Bank,” stated Mayoral Advisor Anetta Babayan during a meeting at City Hall on Monday.
She clarified that the draft public investment program was submitted to the Ministries of Finance and Economy in August, and that collaboration withthe partner organization, the ADB, is ongoing, with preparations for the program’s execution already underway.
“The initiative encompasses not only the procurement of electric buses but also the enhancement of depots for both types of electric transport to ensure they are equipped for servicing electric vehicles” Babayan further noted. Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan remarked that the acquisition of electric buses represents a strategic move towards fully equipping the city’s fleet.
“This initiative not only resolves the concerns regarding the entire fleet but also contributes to mitigating air pollution issues, as the new electric buses have no adverse effect on air quality in the capital, ” Avinyan concluded.