Pashinyan's failed metro payment exposes weakness in Yerevan’s transport system

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan inadvertently highlighted a key flaw in Yerevan’s controversial new public transport payment system on Monday after repeatedly failing to pay for a metro ride during a live public appearance.

Pashinyan joined Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan on the metro as part of a public campaign promoting the capital’s recently introduced fare payment system.

Footage from the visit showed the prime minister attempting several times to tap his bank card on a station validator, only to receive repeated rejection messages. After initially asking why the payment was being declined, Pashinyan suggested he may have tapped the card incorrectly and tried again using a different position on the machine. The transaction failed again.

The fare was eventually paid by Avinyan.

The incident quickly fuelled criticism of the new system, with opponents arguing that Pashinyan had, unintentionally and in real time, exposed its most fundamental weakness. Passengers are expected to rely on a system that does not always work, while the authorities continue to enforce mandatory payment rules and impose fines for non-payment.