160 Electric Buses Brought to Baku: “160 Is Not Even 10% of What's Needed”

Ahead of the COP29 climate conference, scheduled to be held in Baku from November 11-22, 160 Chinese-manufactured electric buses have been delivered to the city. According to official information, a bus depot equipped with all necessary devices and equipment for these buses has also been established. On November 2, President Ilham Aliyev inspected this depot.

For years, new buses have been gradually brought to Baku. According to 2023 official data, 61% of the capital’s bus fleet has been renewed over the past seven years, with over 650,000 passengers now using modern buses.

A decision by the Cabinet of Ministers on March 4, 2019, mandated that buses operating on routes in the capital should be replaced with vehicles powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) or electricity. However, older buses still operate in some suburbs and even in the city center, and complaints about bus shortages continue. Official figures indicate that 80% of residents have access to public transportation, though some experts believe this is an inflated figure, estimating true accessibility at only 60%.

The first electric bus arrived in Baku in April 2023 and was put into service, though many previously delivered buses running on gas and diesel are reportedly now in poor condition, with no official explanation provided.

Earlier this year, Anar Rzayev, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Ground Transport Agency (AYNA), stated that around 2,000 buses currently operate in Baku, half of which need replacement. AYNA informed Turan that the target is to increase the number of buses to 2,500: “With the addition of 160 new electric buses, the total now stands at 2,341.”

"BakuBus" reported that the newly purchased electric buses would begin operating on routes in phases starting November 11. These 2024 model buses have a 15-year lifespan and can cover 300 kilometers on a single charge, with 100 charging stations also acquired.

Transportation expert Elmeddin Muradli highlighted that a complete renewal of the bus fleet is unrealistic: “Private companies plan to bring about 100 new buses by the end of this year. These 160 new buses were procured by the state. But on the other hand, of the 2,100 buses currently in service, a thousand are unsuitable. When we compare figures, we see that Baku needs at least 2,000 new buses, which requires a significant investment.”

According to Muradli, companies used to purchase diesel buses for 200,000 manats each, but now the state only permits buses powered by compressed gas or electricity. CNG buses cost over 300,000 manats, while electric buses are priced at more than half a million. Passenger transport companies wonder how they can recoup such an investment with the current fare rates. To address this, the state plans to pay private companies per kilometer for new buses.

Muradli added that the electric buses would primarily serve the city center: “As they are gradually deployed in the center, older buses will be moved to the suburbs. The electric buses can recharge at each terminal, making them suitable for urban routes, though extending them to the outskirts may be challenging as the charge may not suffice for longer distances.”

Muradli noted potential issues with electric buses in the future: “Initially, these buses may cover 400 kilometers on a full charge, but this can drop to 360 kilometers in a year and decrease further with continued use. In rainy conditions, the range could be as low as 200 kilometers. I hope AYNA will consider these issues and assign them to suitable routes to avoid passenger inconvenience.”

Another transportation expert, Arshad Huseynov, told  Radio Azadliq that many of Baku’s 2,100 buses cannot operate due to technical issues, and at least a thousand have reached the end of their operational life. Huseynov estimated that achieving 100% accessibility would require an additional 2,000 buses for Baku: “160 buses aren’t even 10% of what's needed. While they provide some improvement, they won't solve the problem fundamentally. We would need 2,000 buses operating at short intervals, requiring several billion manats, a commitment no one seems willing to make.”