Economist on Traffic Congestion: ‘The Government Should Not Use This as an Excuse to Raise Prices’

The newly signed State Program for the Improvement of Transport Infrastructure in Baku and Surrounding Areas for 2025-2030 has already sparked discussions. The document outlines the organization of government agencies, educational, and healthcare institutions based on a flexible work schedule.

Additionally, the program proposes that public transportation fares be higher during peak hours and lower during off-peak hours, claiming that this measure will help reduce traffic congestion. However, no concrete action plan on how this will be implemented has been disclosed. Moreover, social media is rife with speculation about an imminent increase in fares.

Member of Parliament Aqil Abbas, in a statement to Turan, said that time will tell whether the plan will effectively address the congestion issue: “But in any case, efforts are being made to solve the problem. Reforms are underway. Currently, they are identifying which roads experience the most congestion.”

The MP also stated that he does not believe these measures will lead to an increase in public transportation fares.

However, economist Natiq Jafarli, speaking to Radio Azadlıq, pointed out that Azerbaijan has 1.7 million officially salaried workers, while others either work without contracts or as individual entrepreneurs: “More than 900,000 people work in the budget-funded sector, which makes it easier for the government to regulate their work schedules. But how will they do this in the private sector? The private sector prioritizes its revenues and sets work schedules that suit its own needs. The government has no control over this.”

He noted that introducing flexible schedules for public sector employees could help ease congestion: “This might have some impact on traffic. But other questions arise. How will they implement this in the education sector? Would different school classes start at different hours? I cannot yet envision how they plan to design this.”

Regarding public transportation fares, Jafarli pointed out that the Azerbaijani government often cites international practices when making such proposals: “Indeed, some countries have adopted similar approaches—fares vary depending on the time of travel. But these countries also have another system in place: fares are not calculated per trip but on an hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly basis. If you purchase an annual public transport pass, the cost per ride becomes significantly cheaper.”

The economist stressed that if the government transitions to this system, it would be a positive development, but cautioned: “The government should not use this as an excuse to raise prices.”