President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on certain measures related to the improvement of the regular passenger transportation sector by road. According to the decree, the "Public Transport" Targeted Budget Fund is being established within the state budget.
There are a number of expectations from the Fund. One of them is related to the elimination of the traffic congestion problem. Incidentally, there will also be toll roads within Baku from now on.
In a statement to Modern.az, Azer Badamov, Deputy Chairman of the Milli Majlis Committee on Economic Policy, Industry, and Entrepreneurship, stated that, according to the decree signed by President Ilham Aliyev, the “Public Transport” Targeted Budget Fund is being established with the aim of ensuring the sustainability and continuity of regular passenger transportation by road, the quality and safety of services provided to passengers, and the efficient organization of the work of carriers operating in this field, taking into account advanced international requirements and practices:
"It is envisaged that the Fund's resources will be used to pay subsidies to legal entities or individual entrepreneurs carrying out regular passenger transportation with vehicles transitioned to a cashless payment system in the administrative territories of Baku, Sumgayit, Ganja, Nakhchivan, Khankendi cities, and Absheron, Aghdam, Shusha, Lachin districts. I believe that the provision of subsidies to certain types of public transport from the Fund's resources will serve to accelerate the process of replacing vehicles used in public transport with compressed natural gas and electric vehicles".
The deputy believes that after the creation of paid zones, the number of cars entering those areas will significantly decrease:
"The decree states that paid traffic zones will be created in the territory of Baku city and will come into force on January 1, 2027. I believe that this decision will contribute to a certain extent to solving the traffic congestion problem, which is deepening day by day in the center of Baku. Because today, moving by car on the central streets of the city has become a difficult issue. I think that after the creation of paid zones, the number of cars entering those areas will significantly decrease, and people will prefer to travel more comfortably by public transport".
However, Deputy Mushfig Jafarov emphasized that the Fund will, to a certain extent, help solve Baku's biggest problem, which is transportation:
"According to the decree signed yesterday by Mr. President Ilham Aliyev, the "Public Transport" Targeted Budget Fund has been established within the state budget. The decision to create the Fund is still new, but I hope that it will, to a certain extent, help solve Baku's biggest problem, which is transportation.
It is true that in recent years we have seen reforms in the transport sector, certain steps taken, and a strategic roadmap formulated. The state program for the improvement of transport infrastructure in Baku city and surrounding areas is also being successfully implemented. A number of solutions have been identified within the framework of the aforementioned program".
The deputy noted that something can be said about the Fund after its first report is announced:
"However, considering how deep the transport problem is in Azerbaijan, especially in Baku, expecting something to change within a few months would be an extremely unrealistic and absurd approach. Something can be said about the Fund after its first report is announced. For now, I can only say that, in general, the traffic congestion in Baku makes living in the city more difficult day by day".
