An event under the theme “City for People in Baku: Transforming urban spaces for a sustainable future” was held on November 20 within COP29.
At the event, Heydar Rustamov, Vice President of the Azerbaijan Surface Transportation Agency (AYNA), gave a keynote speech, providing information on the work carried out in the field in Baku, improving ecosystem health and planned projects and implemented for the sake of the sustainability of the city. Additionally, transportation expert Vusal Rajabli shared his opinion on the “City for People” concept.
As a continuation of the event, information on measures taken by the private sector to support environmental reforms in Baku was presented and discussed in a round table. Naim Azizov, head of the Bolt company’s travel booking service in Azerbaijan, noted that “Bolt is expanding cooperation to create comfortable and safe infrastructure for micromobility, especially roads for bicycles and scooters. In addition, starting in July 2024, Bolt will distribute electric vehicles New vehicles were added to the streets of Baku across Europe as part of the specific plan to
In total, about 700 electric cars circulate in Azerbaijan. We can already see that 1% of monthly trips are made in electric vehicles (EV).
Gulnara Aslanbeyli, executive director of the AmCham Delegation, shared the recommendations on sustainability, reported on the complete exemption of electric vehicles from VAT and import duties, the creation of 3000 charging stations and the electrification of 30% of the bus fleet for 2030 as an important goal.
Continuing the topic, Seymur Niftaliyev, head of the legal department and director of the KPMG company, spoke about various regulatory changes related to the development of mobility during 2024, including familiarization with the new parking system, updated requirements for taxis and taxi drivers . and the use of electric cars. At the end of the meeting, Guillaume Otrage, a member of the COP29 cycling team who traveled more than 6,500 km to Baku by bicycle, who was invited as a special guest, shared his thoughts on sustainability and climate change.
It should be noted that the round table was led by the head of public policies of the Bolt company, Pashayeva Maarif.