AZE.US
Baku passengers may eventually see a more integrated urban transport system, but payment for taxis through BakıKart is not being introduced yet.
The issue emerged after President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree reorganizing Baku Metro CJSC. Under the decree, BakuBus LLC and Baku Taxi Service LLC will be merged into Baku Metro, placing metro, bus and taxi-related services under a more unified management structure.
The move immediately raised a practical question for passengers: will it become possible to pay for taxi rides with BakıKart, the card already used in Baku’s metro and bus systems?
Baku Metro told Oxu.az that the process has only just begun and that no concrete decisions or launch dates have been set for payment systems.
The company said the merger of BakuBus and Baku Taxi Service into Baku Metro is part of a broader transition toward unified management of urban public transport. At this stage, the main goal is to make different modes of transport work in a more coordinated and efficient way.
Officials said future payment mechanisms could be developed with more flexible and digital solutions for passengers. But any new model would be considered only after technical, operational and economic assessments.
For now, that means BakıKart is not being rolled out for taxi payments. The reorganization creates a framework for possible integration, but it does not yet give passengers a single payment tool for metro, buses and taxis.
Baku already has a base for multimodal payments through BakıKart, which is used in the metro and on buses. Similar systems are common in many cities, where passengers use one app, card or shared balance across different forms of transport.
In Baku’s case, the next step will depend on how the newly reorganized structure evaluates the technical and financial side of a wider payment system.
Baku Metro said the process will be carried out in stages and that the public will be informed about any future changes.
AZE.US