Yerevan has eliminated paper QR tickets in its unified transport system due to high paper consumption, which was deemed environmentally unsustainable. Deputy Mayor Suren Grigoryan announced the change at a press conference, outlining the alternatives available to commuters.
“Those who used to purchase paper QR tickets can now obtain a transport card, recharge it regularly, and use it for travel. I encourage everyone to buy tickets in advance. Cards can be recharged via TelCell wallet, terminals, or the website transport.yerevan.am. This allows recharging from home without queues, at any convenient time, by simply entering the card number,” Grigoryan stated, as reported by Radar Armenia.
He cited the metro as an example: “When someone approaches a metro station and tries to use their card immediately, it usually takes 2–5 minutes for the system to update and for the validator to recognize the ticket. To avoid inconvenience, please recharge your cards beforehand.”
Grigoryan added that when purchasing multiple tickets through terminals, users must input their phone number. “Buying one or more tickets without identification results in the tickets appearing in the wallet either instantly or within 10–30 seconds under the specified phone number. The TelCell wallet process has been improved — previously, requests were manually reviewed and approved or denied, which took time. Now, this is handled automatically, making it faster,” he noted.
According to Grigoryan, several alternatives have been provided alongside the removal of paper tickets for users’ convenience.
