Covid-19 Taking Heavy Toll on Tehran Public Transportation

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Iran in mid-February 2020, Tehran’s bus fleet has lost 67% of its earning and is on the verge of bankruptcy, the head of Tehran Bus Company said.
Mahmoud Tarfa added that 30% of Tehran buses are either inactive or operating with long headways due to the declining number of passengers. Many bus drivers have lost their jobs, Hamshahri Online quoted the official as saying.
Prior to the pandemic, 1.8 million passengers used buses daily, which number has shrunk below 500,000.
“Since the US reimposed sanctions against Iran in 2018, Tehran Metro and Tehran Bus Company have been making losses. In addition, the spread of the novel coronavirus dealt another blow to the sector, further reducing the number of people using public transportation,” he added.
According to Tarfa, the total number of drivers in Tehran’s public transportation sector is 5,500, which include employees of both state and private companies.