Tbilisi Mayor: In 2018-2019 All Old Buses Will Be Replaced

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze says that all old yellow buses running in Tbilisi are to be replaced with new, eco-friendly, EU standard blue buses.

Kaladze made the statement on July 24, at the presentation of the Tbilisi Transport Policy.

“We know that there are more yellow buses in the capital than new, blue ones. I promise that in 2018-2019, we will replace all yellow buses with blue ones. We want a better future,” he stated, adding that in the same period, 14 carriages will be added to the metro in order to reduce the waiting intervals between trains.

“We want to make transportation of passengers more comfortable,” he stated.

At present, there are 816 buses in the capital, of which 143 blue buses are new.

The main difference between the yellow and blue buses is that the old ones work on diesel, and 86% of them could not meet the standards of technical inspection this year. The majority of yellow buses are faulty and cannot pass inspection, mainly due to failures in the exhaust systems. Using such buses is not allowed by Georgian legislation as they cause massive air pollution.

The new, blue buses are larger is size 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 buses 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 and are equipped with surveillance cameras.

By Thea Morrison

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