Protesters oppose fines for unpaid transport fares

PanARMENIAN.Net - Members of the Mother Armenia faction in the Yerevan City Council held a protest outside Armenia’s National Assembly, voicing opposition to a proposed bill that would introduce administrative penalties for passengers who fail to pay for public transport, reports Sputnik Armenia.

The bill is scheduled for discussion in the National Assembly's plenary session on April 15.

According to the proposed law, payments for intra-community regular passenger transport would be considered local fees. It would also authorize administrative fines for passengers using transport without paying. Furthermore, it outlines mechanisms for detecting and preventing such violations.

"Citizens are being turned into ‘fine material.’ We’re fighting against a bill that penalizes those who protest transport price hikes by not paying," said Gevorg Stepanyan, a member of the Mother Armenia faction.

Under the bill, a passenger who fails to pay may be fined 10,000 drams. If someone uses another person’s benefit package—such as a family member's—they may face a 15,000 dram fine.

Authorized bodies will be allowed to use various technical tools, including video, photo, and audio recording devices, to detect violations and identify passengers. Passengers must pay within one minute of boarding and retain their ticket or valid carrier throughout the ride. Proof of payment must be shown upon request; failure to do so could lead to administrative liability.

Officials may also consult the State Population Register to identify fare violators based on technical data. If a person refuses to be identified, authorities may involve the police.

On February 11, the Yerevan Council rejected an opposition proposal to keep the 100-dram flat fare. Since February 1, former Mayor Hayk Marutyan, the “Mother Armenia” faction, and youth movements have opposed the fare increase, encouraging citizens to pay only 100 drams.

The council approved a new 150-dram fare for single trips with 33 votes in favor. Additionally, a unified ticketing system will be introduced. All 30-, 90-, and 365-day ticket packages purchased from January 1 to February 28 will receive an additional 30 days of validity.