Recently, an increase in accidents related to irregular passenger and cargo transportation has been observed. Several examples can be given: last September, an unauthorized cargo vehicle overturned onto a passenger car on the Biləcəri bridge; in December, a bus operating illegal passenger transportation in the Sahil settlement area was involved in an accident; in the same month, a minibus transporting workers in Şəmkir also overturned into a water canal. All these incidents resulted in fatalities and injuries. The causes include vehicles not being in proper working order, drivers not adhering to work and rest regimes during their activities, and other factors.
Information on this matter was provided to Modern.az by the Azerbaijan Land Transport Agency (AYNA) under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport.
It was stated that prior to the amendment, the documents required for obtaining a permit were: an identity document for individual entrepreneurs; an extract from the state register of legal entities for legal entities; and a certificate of registration as a taxpayer. This created difficulties in controlling ordered cargo and passenger transportation. Examples of ordered passenger transportation include buses, minibuses, and passenger cars carrying out tourist or inter-district ordered transportation, corporate shuttle services, and vehicles rented for private events (this approach also applies to cargo transportation activities).
The amendment to the Law "On Motor Transport" approved by President Ilham Aliyev specifically aims to enhance safety and service levels in the field of passenger transportation.
Following the amendment to the Law, new requirements have been established for carrying out ordered passenger transportation.
Additional documents required to obtain a permit for transportation activities:
Information on the results of the driver's medical examination regarding narcotic intoxication;
Pre-trip inspection of the technical condition of motor vehicles;
Pre-trip medical examination of drivers;
Documents confirming that drivers have undergone special training. This means drivers must undergo special training at AYNA's Training Center and pass an exam at the State Examination Center;
Individual accident insurance for passengers transported by motor vehicle;
Compulsory insurance for the civil liability of motor vehicle owners, as well as for the loss of professional working capacity of motor vehicle drivers due to accidents and occupational diseases;
A driving license confirming the right to drive vehicles in categories “B” or “BE” is required, with an age over 21 and a minimum of 2 years of driving experience.
It should be noted that these requirements have already come into force. With the exception of the pre-trip medical and technical inspection requirement, the new documents do not apply to drivers and vehicles with active ordered transportation permits. The rules for obtaining a permit (license and its accompanying permit card) will only apply to those wishing to engage in this activity for the first time.
Various enterprises transporting cargo and passengers have been included in the definition of “carrier,” as they can also pose a danger to road users.
For information, according to the current requirements of the legislation, those engaged in ordered passenger transportation, as well as cargo transportation within the country, must obtain a license and a permit card. These permits are issued by the Azerbaijan Land Transport Agency for a period of 7 years, and no fee is required for them.
It is possible to obtain a license for ordered passenger transportation and domestic cargo transportation by submitting the relevant documents electronically to AYNA. For this purpose, the “Carriers” subsystem of the “AYNA” information system is available. Users must access the “e-xidmet.ayna.gov.az” portal and select the application section for issuing permits in the field of passenger and cargo transportation by motor vehicle.
In the next stage, new requirements for vehicles engaged in irregular passenger and cargo transportation will be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers.
It should be recalled that operating passenger transportation activities without a permit constitutes an administrative offense.
