Transport collapse and public outrage in Baku
Most of the COVID-19 restrictions have already been removed in Azerbaijan, however, the subway, which has been closed since October 2020, has yet to reopen.
Baku is faced with a transport collapse and the public demands the immediate reopening of the metro, but the authorities refuse to give in.
Since the closure of the metro, the only other municipal transport means available to the residents of the capital has been buses, which, to this day, do not operate on the weekends.
Quarantine has ended but restriction on public transport remains
The longest lockdown since the beginning of the global pandemic ended on January 18, 2021, in Azerbaijan. This lockdown was first introduced on December 14, 2020, and lasted for a total of 35 days, and, throughout it, people were only allowed to leave their homes for no longer than three hours a day.
Although the restrictions on movement have been removed completely, regulations of municipal transport are still very much in place.
In Baku, the subway remains closed and the buses only operate on weekdays. In other words, on Saturdays and Sundays, you can only move around the capital in your own car or by taxi.
On February 15, the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan announced that pupils of grades 5-9 would resume in-person studying. In universities, in-person classes reopened for the students whose degrees require a physical presence, such as medical students and those studying engineering.
Naturally, this factor increased the number of public transport passengers, and a wave of traffic jams and discontent swept across the city.
Transport collapse and public outrage in Baku
For most of February 15-16, Azerbaijani social media and news outlets were full of photos and videos of traffic on the streets of Baku.
Many users took to social media to express their discontent. Here are some of their posts:
“The subway must be opened, there is nothing to discuss here. Can anyone even explain why is it still closed?”
“It took me 2.5 hours to get from the Winter Park to Ahmedli [approximately 10 kilometers]. The subway would have taken only 30 minutes”.
“It got to the point where we got the fast-buses back on the streets [this type of public transport was banned in Baku several years ago]”.
Opposition joins outraged public
One of the leaders of the opposition Republican Alternative party, Natiq Jafarli, has complained about the current state of traffic in Baku.
Recently a separate lane for buses has been introduced in Baku, and cars are prohibited from driving in it and violators are punished by a fine.
In his recent Facebook post, Jafarli noted that these lanes are usually empty, especially during the weekends when the buses are not operating:
“No one has bothered to address the people and say that during the weekend bus lane rules do not apply. If you drive in this lane, you will be fined, and if you ask why, they will tell you that it is a special bus lane. But where are the buses? Locked up in a garage is where they are at”.
