Economic Problems Delay Urban Bus Fleet Upgrade

Iranian urban managers’ struggle to upgrade public transport fleet has been delayed by the country’s sanction-induced and Covid-19 enhanced economic problems.
To address the thorny issue, officials resorted to different strategies that have not always produced the desired result. 
Tehran Municipality is prodding the government of President Hassan Rouhani to invest in public transportation so that urban managers could add 1,000 new buses to the capital’s public transportation fleet by the current Iranian yearend (March 2021).
According to Manaf Hashemi, Tehran Municipality’s deputy for traffic and transportation affairs, the overhaul of 2,000 aging buses is also high on TM’s agenda.
Underlining the state’s role in the restoration plan, Hashemi said, “The government and the private sector have promised to finance the restoration project and work is expected to begin soon.”
Based on the arrangements, TM will first send 200 dilapidated buses to repair centers, he added.