Baku metro up and running again, but experts predict price hike

The Baku metro will start running again in the capital of Azerbaijan, just in time for the start of the new school year – two days before. 

The metro is set to reopen on Sunday, despite public transport being forbidden to run on weekends until the end of September. 

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According to the Azerbaijani media, the metro, which was closed on 4 July, 2020 due to the strict coronavirus regulations, is scheduled to reopen on 13 September.

The start of the school year in Azerbaijan is planned for 15 September. Only primary school pupils will being going to classes then, whereas older pupils will start in-person classes in October. However, there is still the caveat that the epidemiological situation must allow for it. 

The cabinet of ministers has informed the public of 167 new cases of coronavirus. 3 people have died, while 148 have recovered and been discharged from the hospital. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the country amounts to 36,899 people. 541 of them have died. 2,094 people remain in hospital.

The press secretary for the Baku Metro, Bahtiyar Mammadov, answered journalists’ inquiry into the possibility of a price hike by saying that the heads of the rate committee haven’t mentioned anything about it, adding that “it isn’t even on the agenda”.

Professor Gubad Ibadoglu of Rutgers University wrote about price hikes for public transport on his Facebook page.

There is not yet any official decision from the cabinet of ministers on when the metro will start working and whether public transport will run on weekends.