31 JULY / 2018 / 00:00
On July 30, at the session of the Tariff (price) Council, new tariffs for passenger transportation in public transport were approved. From the August 1, the fare for one travel in Baku Metro was set at the rate of 30 gapik*. The new tariff will come into force from tomorrow - August 1.
The decision says that from the August 1, payment from passengers using plastic or paper cards as a payment mean will be charged under the new tariff.
Since August 1, users of paper cards can apply to the "Card Analysis Centers" operating at the stations "20 January", "28 May", "Nariman Narimanov" and "Neftchilar" to increase the remaining and unused amount on the card balance. This rule will remain in effect until a card expires (45 days).
In connection with the approval of new tariffs for public transport services, from August 1 of this year, it should be noted that, at present, the prime cost of transportation of one passenger in Baku Metro is 47 gapik. This cost was calculated on the basis of exploitation expenses aimed only to the passenger transportation, while the costs for the future development of the metro, construction, major repair of existing infrastructure, modernization, reconstruction, purchasing of the new trains, etc. are not included in this cost. It's not a secret that, at present, these issues are being financed at the expense of the state budget of Azerbaijan.
To be completely objective, it is necessary to pay attention to one question: the basic procurement for Baku Metro, mostly, is connected with the goods procured from outside of our country by means of a foreign currency. Most of the equipment, machines and mechanisms, related to the exploitation, are imported from abroad. In recent years, the reconstruction work of Baku Metro has been significantly accelerated and the infrastructure has been upgraded to the level of modern standards. Namely, at the expense of the funds allocated by the state, starting from 2015, trains that meet the most modern standards and possess the highest level of safety and comfort are purchased. Trains, after the expiration of their life cycle, and as the metro lines will be developed, will also be replaced by their most modern analogues.
Despite the current tariff change, the payment for the transportation of passengers in Baku Metro, in compare with the payment made in many other undergrounds of the world, remains at a lower tariff level.
It should be noted that the last tariff change in Baku Metro had been made on December 1, 2011. According to the decision of the Tariff Council on November 24 of the same year, payment for one trip was increased from 15 to 20 gapik.
- gapik* (monetary unit of Azerbaijan, equal to 1/100 of the Azerbaijani manat)
