Tbilisi Mayor: mini-buses will be replaced, fare won’t increase
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Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has stated that an agreement has been made with Tbilisi Minibus Company through which the outdated fleet will be replaced starting next year without an increase in fare.
The negotiation process [with the company] was not easy,” Kaladze said.
Vice-Mayor Irakli Khmaladze has told the media that initially Tbilisi City Hall will allocate funds for the purchase of new vehicles, as the company faces financial problems.
He stated that when the company overcomes the crisis they will have to buy new mini buses.
Tbilisi Minibus company, which has been operating a yellow mini bus fleet (marshutkas) in the capital city since 2011, requested Tbilisi City Hall last week to allow the increase in current fare by 20-30 tetries for them to replace outdated vehicles and ensure better service.
The appeal came after the demand of Kaladze regarding the replacement of the mini-bus fleet as “they are polluting the environment and are not comfortable for passengers.”
Current fare for one-way travel, on long routes, is 80 tetris and on short routes - 50 tetris.
Tbilisi Minibus company, which has been operating a yellow mini bus fleet (marshutkas) in the capital city since 2011 has requested Tbilisi City Hall to allow the increase in current fare by 20-30 tetries for them to replace outdated vehicles and ensure better service.
Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has presented 54 new buses for the capital, as Tbilisi City Hall has plans to completely replace the outdated bus fleet by the beginning of next year. 38 of the new vehicles are ISUZU, eight-meter buses, while the remaining 16 are MAN, 10-meter buses.The diesel buses are of Euro 6 standard which are equipped with wireless Internet, modern heating and conditioning systems, cameras, phone chargers and are fully adapted for people with disabilities.
Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze says that the current fleet of mini-buses (marshutkas) in the capital must be replaced staring in 2020 and has instructed Deputy Mayor Irakli Khmaladze to start negotiations with Tbilisi Minibus, a private company operating the marshutkas, for the process to begin as soon as possible.
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2020 will be a special year as Tbilisi City Hall is planning a number of large projects to be carried out in Tbilisi announced Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze earlier today, noting that details about these projects would be provided in several days.
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Tbilisi City Hall will open a tender in the coming days to purchase 300 new mini buses (marshrutkas) for the capital city with the money transferred from the state budget, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze stated earlier today.
The current outdated fleet of yellow minibuses (marshrutkas) in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi will soon be replaced by 300 new Ford minibuses that will appear in the city step-by-step six months, announces Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze.
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