After parking fees rise, Yerevan’s city center remains congested – Samvel Hakobyan

These people are engaged in political demagogy, they understand that they do not have public trust, Samvel Hakobyan, a member of the “Mother Armenia” faction of the Yerevan City Council, told Alpha News, commenting on the statement by the press secretary of the Mayor of Yerevan, Hayk Kostanyan, who claimed that the rise in parking fees had eased congestion in Yerevan’s city center.

“To the credit of the administrative court, we have two victories today. Both the fees on the ‘red lines’ and the state of public transport show that these people do not know how to work. Regarding public transport, we can say that the boycott was successful. This is a fact, although these people in February and March constantly claimed that the boycott had failed. Now they themselves acknowledge financial losses and even threaten citizens, claiming they will be unable to purchase the promised trolleybuses,” Hakobyan said.

According to him, the city authorities should understand that if people see that there is an illegal, unjustified increase of any fee or service, they begin to boycott because they do not receive a legitimate explanation for the price hike.

Now, according to the City Council member, citizens who use public transport without paying—or those who travel in place of beneficiaries—will face a fine of 15,000 drams. A similar draft was presented by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, although it was developed by Yerevan City Hall.

“These people have submitted a draft to the National Assembly seeking to penalize citizens for boycotting, imposing fines of up to 15,000 drams. Avinyan’s team members in the National Assembly seem to be scared. Although the draft received a positive assessment, no further action was taken. Being the majority, they literally ran away from the meeting room, ignoring the civic position of 18,000 Yerevan residents. If public dissatisfaction exists and you claim to be a democrat—if society explicitly opposes your policies—you must step back and make changes. But these people prefer to shift blame and never take responsibility for their own mistakes,” he added.

When asked whether the city center had become less congested following the fee increase, Samvel Hakobyan gave a negative answer.

“The day before, Hayk Kostanyan spread false information, claiming he could provide evidence that the boycott had somehow eased congestion in the city. That’s a lie. I officially declare that after the fare increase on the ‘red lines’, the city has not been relieved. Until 2023, they sold 40,000 season tickets to our citizens, and after the price hike in 2024, they sold 8,000 season tickets. If people did not buy season tickets, it does not mean they are no longer traveling to the city center. The reality is that many citizens, unfortunately, cannot afford to pay 160,000 drams for parking in the city center,” Hakobyan concluded.