Single payment transport cards puts on sale in Baku
By Nigar Orujova
The spokesman of Azerbaijan's Transportation Ministry said that electronic cards are now on sale for travel by buses in the capital Baku.
"The plastic public transport cards are currently used only on two bus routes - No 10 and No 95," Namiq Hasanov added.
"By the end of February, they will be used on 36 routes covering 650 busses," he said.
The prepaid-cards are issued by the Bank of Azerbaijan on the base of the MasterCard.
The card will cost three manat ($3.8), of which two manat ($2.5) is an insurance deposit and one manat ($1.2) will be transferred to the balance.
"Some 450,000 cards are already ready for use," Hasanov said. "Another million cards were ordered additionally. The cards are on sale in 80 kiosks of the city, as well as at Bank of Azerbaijan branches."
The special verifying-readers have been already installed on 1,000 buses of the city. At first, the payment will be made both by card and in cash.
"A card balance can be filled up in kiosks," Hasanov said.
These cards will be used not only in buses but also in catering, subway and taxi.
Transition to the single card payment system was forecasted in Baku from May 2013, but was repeatedly delayed.
The card payment system is being implemented within an intellectual transport management (ITM) system, which was launched in December 2011. The ITM system costs more than $95 million. After full commissioning, it will be controlled from a center in Baku.
The implementation of the system is expected to finish until the inaugural European Olympic Games, which will be held in Baku in 2015.