YEREVAN. - The competition for the regular bus route from Yerevan to Zvartnots airport will most likely be announced in fall.

Minister of Transport, Communication and Informational Technologies of Armenia, Vahan Martirosyan, told the aforementioned to Armenian News – NEWS.am.

The trial regime of the route between the airport and the central Republic Square has been launched since June 14. The bus works every hour 24/7.

The ministry launched the route after the criticism by Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, who slammed the taxis working nearby the airport during one of the recent Cabinet sessions.

The tourists should not start getting to know Armenia with unshaved taxi drivers wearing slippers, who demand a fare, which is thrice expensive, the PM noted then.

According to the minister, one of the private transportation companies, Elite Bus, has already showed interest in the route. “We expect feedback from other transporters as well. Let’s see how the new buses will justify themselves this summer, and in fall we will announce a competition,” the minister said.

In his words, more and more Yerevan residents and guests use these buses. On the first day the number of passengers was 86, on the second—130 and on the third—nearly 200.

Asked whether the taxi drivers, who are losing clients due to the buses, have turned to them, the minister said: “Certainly, there are such talks. But in any civilized city there must be an opportunity to reach from the airport to the city not only by taxi but also by public transport.”