The Minister of Science and Education, Emin Amrullayev, announced yesterday that the “School Buses” project will be implemented starting from October 1. According to him, approximately 1,200 students will be covered by this service in the initial phase of the project.
According to information provided by the Azerbaijan Land Transport Agency (AYNA) under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, school buses will not be able to use bus lanes.
Modern.az sent an inquiry to AYNA to clarify the aforementioned issue.
In response to our inquiry, it was stated that, according to Article 48, Part 4 of the Law “On Road Traffic”, the movement and stopping of other vehicles are prohibited on roads with lanes designated for public transport vehicles, marked with appropriate signs.
It was noted that, according to the first article of the aforementioned law, in the section on basic concepts, public transport vehicles refer to vehicles intended for passenger transportation, operating on a predetermined route with designated stops. Other vehicles are not allowed to enter these lanes.
Thus, only regular route buses and operational vehicles can use the specially organized traffic lanes.
“According to the Law “On Road Traffic”, operational vehicles refer to vehicles intended for the performance of functional tasks of fire protection, police, emergency medical services, accident-rescue units, military vehicle inspection, cash collection and transportation of valuable goods, and the protection of high-ranking officials of the Republic of Azerbaijan," the information states.
Lawyer and transport expert Arshad Huseynov told our website that the efficient organization of school buses is extremely important. According to him, the safe, professional, and efficient organization of this transport, especially in directions where there is a necessity, can yield positive results.
“The issue of allowing access to bus lanes is a matter directly arising from the Law "On Road Traffic". According to the current legislation, only route buses are allowed to use bus lanes. This legally prevents school buses from using these lanes.”
The lawyer stated that relevant amendments to the legislation are needed to eliminate this problem:
“Specifically, by making a simple amendment to Article 48 of the Law "On Road Traffic", it is possible to create a legal basis for school buses to also use special lanes.
Even from time to time, proposals are put forward to grant taxis with official permits and relevant documents the right to use these lanes.”
According to the lawyer, there is a serious need to improve the Law "On Road Traffic" in this direction overall.
“After appropriate amendments are made to the law, it may be possible for school buses to also use these lanes. Naturally, the operation of school buses must be carried out in a fully official manner, their records must be kept, and safety requirements must be strictly adhered to. Only under these conditions and after a legal basis is established would it be appropriate to permit school buses to use bus lanes,” Ə.Huseynov noted.
