300 Buses and Minibuses Fail to Undergo Technical Inspection in Tbilisi
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, October 19
Mamuka Mumladze, Head of Transport Department of Tbilisi City Hall stated at a press conference on October 18 that up to 200 minibusses and about 100 buses do not function due to the failure to undergo technical inspection.
According to Mumladze, if the vehicle fails to undergo technical insight, it cannot satisfy the standard, and consequently, it will not be allowed to drive in the city.
“We are creating a system which everyone should try to keep up. If they fail, we are not going to step back,” he added.
Head of Transport Department of Tbilisi City Hall also noted that all the public transport will be checked in order to ensure public safety.
“The buses that were suspended were very old and their routes were given to the minibusses but we still have places where public transport does not go and now we are working on this issue,” he said.
According to him, at present there are 105 lines for buses and 190 minibus lines in the capital for 1800 minibusses and 540 buses, adding the number of the minibusses might be reduced when more new, MAN blue buses are brought in Tbilisi.
At present, there are 143 new blue buses in Tbilisi. The rest are old yellow buses which need to be replaced due to the failure of the exhausted system. Using such buses is not allowed by Georgian legislation.
The blue buses are better for the environment than the current yellow buses and operate in Tbilisi thanks to an agreement signed between one of the leading international providers of commercial vehicles, the Man Truck and Bus AG Company.
Blue Man busses are efficient and economical, as they run on compressed natural gas (CNG), meaning they are more energy efficient, produce reduced vehicle emissions and are cheaper to operate than diesel-equivalent buses.
Moreover, all new buses are adapted for people with disabilities.
As Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze noted in late August that a new transport policy of the capital envisages increasing number of new buses to 220 by the end of this year.
He vowed that by the end of 2019, Tbilisi will have around 550 new blue buses.
