The Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan has upheld the ruling of the Administrative Court of Bishkek in the case concerning the liquidation of the trolleybus system in the capital. The decision is final and cannot be appealed. This means that the actions of the Bishkek City Hall and the Bishkek City Council related to removing trolleybuses from operation have been found lawful.
The Administrative Court issued its decision on June 25, 2025, and the Supreme Court has now confirmed its legality.
Activists who opposed the removal of trolleybuses insist that the decision was adopted with procedural violations.
One of them, Bermet Borubaeva, stated that the document authorizing the liquidation was signed by then-chairman of the City Council Kuvanychbek Kongantiev, who is currently being held in a pretrial detention center. Earlier, the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan reported that he is suspected of organizing illegal schemes related to land plots and the use of affiliated individuals.
According to the activist, the elimination of trolleybuses has negatively affected the environmental situation in the city.
«This was the only environmentally friendly form of public transport in the country. Bishkek is already among cities with high levels of air pollution, yet the City Council — which should be monitoring the capital’s environmental situation — made such a decision,» she said.
Lawyer Islam Azimov noted that public consultations must be held when adopting subordinate regulations.
«A key element is taking into account the opinions of citizens. The results of these discussions must be reflected in the explanatory note. However, this was not done when the draft was reviewed,» he said.
In a written response, the Bishkek City Council stated that more than 140 proposals had been submitted by citizens regarding the project. However, they were not taken into account, even though most supported keeping the trolleybuses.
Bishkek resident Gulfira Minkina also emphasized the role trolleybuses played in the city’s daily life.
«I have been riding trolleybuses since childhood. Now many people suffer from allergies and respiratory diseases, which is connected with the large number of exhaust gases in the city,» she said.
Members of the initiative group also raised questions about the fate of the trolleybus system’s property. Activists asked what happened to the copper wires from the overhead contact network, but neither representatives of the City Hall nor the City Council provided a clear answer during the court proceedings.
Gulfira Minkina also raised concerns about the disappearance of architectural elements in the city.
«Where are objects of architectural heritage and elements of the urban environment disappearing to? For example, granite curbs, historic fences, mosaics — no one gives an answer,» she said.
Between 2014 and 2018, the City Hall of Bishkek purchased 131 modern trolleybuses with support from a $23.5 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The funds were also used to modernize the trolleybus contact network.
In 2024, trolleybuses were completely removed from operation in the capital. An initiative group of residents claims that the transfer of municipal property was carried out without coordination with the creditor bank and without taking into account the opinions of city residents.
