A single card payment system will be implemented in some 100 buses in the capital Baku by late May, Transport Minister Ziya Mammadov informed press. 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 work on implementation of single card payment system in the public transport, including Baku metro is held under the presidential order. We work with corresponding Turkish companies to introduce this system," Mammadov said. "We plan to increase the number of busses with the single card payment system to 1,000 until the year end," he noted.

According Mammadov, the implementation of the system is expected to finish until the I European Olympic Games, which will be held in Baku in 2015. Single payment cards will be distributed free of charge through the trade chains and the special device for single public transport payment cards.

The single payment system will include a social component. So, discounts will be provided depending on the user categories, including students, who will be provided with special cards. The balance replenishment will be possible through the banks, kiosks and mobile terminals, which will be available in the districts of the city. Introducing a new payment system requires the installation of turnstiles and devices for cards, terminals for ordering the cards, and the entrance and exit system. Earlier the Transport Ministry said making payments will be possible by both cards and cash. Turnstiles will be placed in 3,000 buses.

The creation of the ITM system envisions installation of 664 information terminals and 48 billboards, which have been placed along the streets of Baku. In order to introduce the system, 639 special parking areas will be created for buses, along with about 140 such sites for taxis.

The Transport Ministry completed the installation of communication devices in buses under the ITM system implementation in May 2012. The devices provide data on bus trips and drivers, which is under centralized control. According to the ITM center, the introduction of intelligent transport management systems in the whole territory of Azerbaijan is planned to be completed in 2014-2015.