Head of Tehran Bus Company said import of secondhand buses should be considered as an option for renovating the dilapidated transportation fleet of the capital.
Peiman Sanandaji told a local news agency that 10,000 buses are needed to offer decent commuting to residents in the capital that is home to 12 million people.
Tehran’s public transport fleet has 6,000 buses, half of which are dilapidated, unusable and more than ready for the scrap yard. Some of the buses are over two decades old and have long outlived their usefulness.
“Import of used CNG hybrid buses can contribute to the renovation of the fleet,” he added.
Director of the bus company has already discussed the issue with officials at the Industries Ministry. The ministry is in charge of vehicle imports. As per law import of secondhand vehicles is not allowed in Iran.
Sanandaji explains that since the Iranian rial has lost almost 70% of its value and the country cannot afford to import new buses in large numbers, buying secondhand vehicles from other countries that meet emission and quality standards seems feasible.
The Iranian currency has lost 70% of its value in the past eight months. On Wednesday, the US dollar was traded at 129,000 rials in Tehran. The greenback was sold for 160,000 to 180,000 rials a few weeks earlier. In March it hardly fetched 42,000 rials.
People and experts have repeatedly blamed Tehran’s nerve-racking traffic congestions and worsening air pollution largely on the inadequate and inefficient public transportation system.
Tehran Municipality says buses account for 23% of intracity transportation in the overcrowded metropolis.
