Tbilisi to Have New 220 Buses with Free Wi-Fi
By Tea Mariamidze
Thursday, May 2
From late 2019 Georgian capital Tbilisi will have new, 8 meters long, 220 eco-friendly buses equipped with free Wi-Fi.
Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze said at the Tbilisi government meeting that the tender, which was announced in November, was completed and the contract was signed on 220 new buses.
“At the end of the year, new 8-meter buses will enter Tbilisi and substitute old yellow buses which have already exhausted all their resources,” Kaladze said.
The mayor noted that old buses create discomfort for the passengers and pollute the air with their exhaust.
According to Kaladze, lately announced new transport policy covers several directions, including replacement of buses, renovation of metro carriages and improving the underground infrastructure, which is very important for the commuters.
“The new buses will be equipped with a modern standard, built-in heating, air conditioning, and ventilation, as well as information-sound systems, also, video monitoring systems, USB-chargers and Wi-Fi modems that cover the whole vehicle,” he said.
Kaladze noted the tender had been underway for a long time and there were disputes, but they finally ended and ISUZU model buses will be provided to the capital in 8 month period.
According to him, the municipality will hold a presentation of 10-meter buses in a few days, which will serve the population in the nearest future.
“Part of 10-meter buses is already in the capital and they will serve the population of Tbilisi. I want to congratulate people. New buses will be distributed on different routes,” Kaladze.
The Mayor of Tbilisi also presented photos of 8-meter buses and noted that the decision regarding the color will be made later and the population will be involved in it too.
According to him, fuel control measures will also be tightened in the country in order to ban low-quality diesel import in Georgia.
"The buses are working on Euro 6 diesel as in European cities. We take into consideration all standards at the time of purchase. Also, the fuel issue is also necessary. We should be prepared for this because these buses need special, high-quality fuel. In parallel, we will work hard to control the quality of the fuel in general,” Kaladze added.
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 exhaust system. Using such buses is not allowed by Georgian legislation.
Earlier Tbilisi Mayor said that in the frames of the bus replacement program, a total of 750 buses will be purchased which will replace the old buses completely and increase the total number of buses in the capital by 200 units.
