Yerevan will fully convert its bus fleet to electric and this year will begin building a network of dedicated lanes for public transport. The city authorities announced this against the backdrop of traffic jams that the country's prime minister called a crisis a year ago.
At a session of the city hall on October 26, Mayor Tigran Avinyan instructed that the next tender for bus procurement be announced for electric models exclusively. He also said that the operating hours of electric city transport, which currently stops running at around nine in the evening, will be extended to eleven or midnight.
According to the mayor, by 2030 the overall mobility of public transport in Yerevan should increase by 30 percent, meaning the average travel time along a route should decrease by the same amount. He called this goal entirely realistic.
Tigran Avinyan explained these changes by the growing number of cars on the streets. He does not regard widening roads as a way out. "Our roads, I'm sorry, are not made of rubber; they cannot be expanded infinitely," he said. "Even if we widen them, science tells us that more cars will appear on those widened roads."
In his view, public transport must become so convenient that even wealthy people, who can afford several cars, will use it. "There must be at least one reliable way to get around the city, and that way must be public transport," the mayor declared.
An analysis conducted by the city authorities shows that dedicated lanes are more effective than increasing the number of buses. According to Avinyan, 15 buses on a dedicated lane perform better than 25 in mixed traffic, gaining in frequency, reliability and speed. He added that bicycle lanes should be combined with bus lanes.
The mayor instructed his deputy to present a phased plan for creating dedicated lanes this year; work will also begin during this period. The first lane will be separated on the right side of the road and cameras will be installed. If it later turns out that the streets require reconstruction, the city will carry out more serious work and move the lane to the center of the carriageway.
The problem of traffic jams in Yerevan has been discussed at the government level for a year. In October 2025, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the road situation in the capital had reached a crisis point. He said that the previous evening he had seen such jams in the center that "it was impossible to even get through on a bicycle," and ordered the creation of a crisis group.
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