Construction of a new bus depot for 18-meter buses near Tbilisi International Airport has been delayed for the fifth time. The 60.5 million GEL project, originally scheduled for completion in March 2025, is now expected to finish by May 2026, pushing the opening back by about a year.
According to inspection reports, a significant amount of infrastructure work still needs to be completed. So far, 52.8 million GEL, about 87% of the contract value, has already been paid, while construction continues on a 170,000-square-meter site.
The delays are affecting the operation of Tbilisi’s new bus fleet. Although the city has purchased 160 articulated buses, fewer than 100 are currently in service because the existing depot in Digomi lacks the capacity to fully serve this fleet.
Overall, the 18-meter bus reform project, including vehicle purchases, maintenance contracts, and depot construction, exceeds half a billion GEL in total cost. The repeated delays mean full deployment of the new buses remains on hold until the depot is completed.
