Expert: "There are no grounds for raising prices"

Baku/01.08.18/Turan: After a certain break, the Tariff Council presented another nightly surprise. Since August 1 of this year, prices for public transport have increased by 50 percent. And, as usual, the possibility of making such a decision in advance to notify the population did not bother.

Earlier, with the increase in prices for public transportation, the price for fuel and electricity was justified, the Tariff Council justified this decision by raising the cost of passenger transportation, renewing bus fleets, importing spare parts from abroad, improving the quality of services, and reducing the dependence of the subway on the state budget. That is, the structure was limited only to generalized phrases, based on which prices can be raised at least every day.

Proponents of the increase in the fare can say that even after the price increases, local transport remains cheaper than in many countries around the world. For example, in Switzerland the cost of one trip is $ 3,1, in Oslo - $ 3,8, and in London and at all $ 4. However, the residents of these countries earn an hour from $ 19.6 to $ 36.6, and the quality of public transport is far from comparable with Azerbaijan. Except for a small number of BakuBus buses. Plying mainly in the city center and several new metro structures, the rest of public transport leaves much to be desired. Buses that ply in the suburbs of the capital are deprived of a card system, air conditioners, yes there, normal seats and are far from the generally accepted standards of hygiene.

While the prices for the use of public transport is increased for Azerbaijani citizens, the authorities of Estonia, the former Soviet republic, made absolutely the opposite decision. Now, citizens of Estonia can use free transportation in local transport. In 11 of the country's 15 republics, travel was made free for local residents. In the capital of the same country - Tallinn, fares are free since 2013. True free travel in local transport applies only to registered residents within their county, long-distance trips remained paid. However, within the limits of the living area, you can travel as much as you like, without paying a penny for it. To obtain the right to free travel, one must buy a special 2-euro ticket for free, and the doors of free public transport to Estonians are open.

The authorities explained their decision to make public transport free of charge by the desire to stimulate the local economy. According to the representative of Tallinn Mayor House, Alan Alakül, after the transport became free, people began to go out in the evenings, less people use their own car, and feeling the savings, began to spend free money.

The practice of free travel in public transport exists in other developed countries of the world. So, in the Australian capital, trams in the central region are free for all passengers. In English Manchester, buses called Metroshuttle, connecting the main railway stations, parking, shopping and business areas, are also absolutely free. In the Finnish city of Mariehamn public transport of one of the companies, free for both local residents and visitors since 2000. Free transport is widely distributed in selected cities of Malaysia, USA, Iceland, Lithuania, Slovenia, Belgium, France, Italy, and even Swiss Geneva. According to the authorities of these countries, free travel stimulates the flow of tourists, the revival of the economy and solves environmental problems by reducing the number of cars.

Why did not the Azerbaijani authorities go to the free system, but decided to raise the fare for public transport?

"Recently, the representatives of the structures responsible for public transport, mainly representatives of the Bakmetropoliten, stated that the cost of passenger transportation is high -47 gepik. However, until this day, none of them explained how such calculations are conducted," economist Natik Jafarli told Turan.

In the opinion of the expert, the Tariff Council should also justify why the fare grew by exactly 10 gepik: "The activity of this structure is far from transparent, therefore until today no decision has been justified economically."

Jafarli believes that the increase in prices is not justified: "The most interesting thing is that all structures involved in passenger transportation receive state grants most of all. Wagons and buses are bought at public expense, repairs, installation of additional equipment, construction of new metro stations is fully paid from the state budget. These are not self-supporting companies, which themselves cover their expenses. In this case, an increase in prices would be understandable. However, now the rise in prices for public transport can be explained by the opaque work of the relevant structures, corruption, and all the financial difficulties that have arisen from these problems are trying to be put on the shoulders of citizens.

It cannot be explained in other way. Prices for diesel fuel, liquefied gas, as well as for electricity have not risen. Therefore, there is no fundamental factor for increasing the cost of transportation of passengers," N. Jafarli stressed.