For streamlining the urban bus network, new plans are afoot in two major Iranian cities of Isfahan, the provincial center of Isfahan, and Karaj in Alborz Province.
Amir Ahmad Zandavar, the head of Transportation, Environment and Information Commission at Isfahan City Council, told IRIB that 150 buses will be soon repaired and added to the metropolis' public transportation fleet.
Zandavar says work is on track to upgrade 50 buses since last year.
"The repair of 20 buses is complete and work on the other 30 buses will be done by October," he said.
The official noted that as per a more recent plan launched in the current fiscal year (started March 21), 100 buses which had been impounded by traffic police due to pollution and technical problems, will soon go through upgrading processes and return to the city's fleet as soon as possible.
"Considering the exorbitant price of new buses and the prevailing limitations on imports, repairing derelict buses are the most viable and economical solution to boost the dilapidated fleet," he added.
According to Zandavar, a new bus costs at least 18 billion rials ($145,000), while the repair of an old bus will at most require 2 billion rials ($16,000).
There are no reports on the average age and number of buses currently operating in Isfahan's urban transportation fleet.
Alborz Transport Network
Officials in Karaj are also making plans to overhaul the public transport facilities in the growing city.
Mohammad Reza Ahmadinejad, the managing director of Transportation and Traffic Organization of Karaj Municipality, told reporters that a scheme called "Upgrading Bus Stations" will soon become operational in the city.
He added that renovating bus stops, installing maps displaying the bus route, renewing bus stop signage and improving access to the stations are envisaged in the plan.
Ahmadinejad said Karaj has more than 1,100 bus stations, of which only 200 are in the form of shelter booths.
This is while no fruitful effort on improving the dilapidated urban buses in the city seems to be on Karaj Municipality's agenda.
There are hardly 400 buses in the Karaj public transportation fleet—by no means enough for a city of 1.6 million people. However, most of the vehicles used in the fleet are old and create air pollution.
Observers have said that Alborz residents are losing interest in using public transportation due to the constant delays.
The two metropolises have been struggling with air pollution, as all developed and developing cities in the world. However, with sparse and at times poorly managed measures, authorities hope to make things better in cities.
