12:41 - 22.09.2025

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September 22, Fineko/abc.az. The integration of the bus route network covering the territory of Baku and Absheron is weak, there are duplicate routes, and 17% of the urban population has limited access to the bus network.

ABC.AZ reports that Azerbaijan Land Transport Agency’s chairman of board Anar Rzayev stated about this at a briefing on issues arising from the presidential decree on some measures to improve the sphere of regular passenger transportation by road.

According to Rzayev, with the introduction of the new system, it is expected that the demand for buses for passenger transportation will amount to 2,800 buses.

"It is impossible to secure the necessary investments to upgrade the bus fleet in the next few years by operators operating on the basis of a simple business model and lacking financial stability. In this regard, a system of "gross contracts (concluded between city authorities and carriers depending on the mileage of the route)" will be applied to continuously maintain the high quality of public transport services in Baku and Absheron and form a sustainable financing mechanism for the renovation of the bus fleet,» he said.

Rzayev added that within the model, income from fare payments will be accumulated in the regulatory authority, part of the payment for services rendered by the carrier will be covered from these finances, and the missing part - from finances allocated by the state.