Yerevan, November 2, ArmenPress: A senior official of the Yerevan municipality reiterated today previous promises to bring some 130 passenger buses from Ukraine and Belarus by the end of the year to ease commuters' problems, who often have to wait for tens of minutes to squeeze into one of mini-buses that can carry a dozen people only.

Tigran Nazarian, the head of the transport department of the municipality said 3,000 mini-buses operate in the capital, but they are not enough to transport passengers, especially in rush hours.

Last year the municipality brought some 30 buses, mainly from France. Previous state-run bus companies were privatized in 1997 and now there is only one such company in Yerevan. Nazarian said companies refuse to bring buses on grounds that they do not bring profits as their fares are 70 drams against 100 drams charged by mini-buses. He said bus fares may be revised and set at 100 drams.

Nazarian said also buses will be brought up to 2007 and by that time Yerevan municipality is expected to run 1000 buses. He said some 20 buses and trolley-buses are coming soon from French Lyon.