The head of the Ministry of Transport reported on measures to combat traffic jams in Tashkent

Transport Minister Ilkhom Mahkamov spoke about the measures being taken in Tashkent to reduce traffic congestion, and also shared plans to connect the suburban area with Tashkent through unified bus routes.

The Minister responded to the senatorial inquiry of the Chairman of the Senate Committee of the Oliy Majlis, Erkin Gadoev, who noted that with the beginning of the academic year, the traffic flow in the capital has noticeably increased, and emphasized that constant traffic jams negatively affect people’s lives, asking what measures are being taken to address this issue.

Ilhom Mahkamov, in turn, said that the authorities plan to increase the number of public transport to address this issue. In particular, the minister noted that currently, about 1 million vehicles are moving on the roads of Tashkent, of which 300 thousand are private cars, which create traffic jams.

In this regard, the Ministry announced the purchase of 1004 new buses, 304 of which are electric buses, significantly replenishing the capital’s fleet. Currently, there are 164 bus routes in Tashkent operating in four categories: 99 — main, 14 — ring, 11 — main, 40 — delivery, and the interval has been halved to 8-10 minutes.

It was also noted that the average speed of public transport increased to 18-21 km/h, which allows about 800 thousand passengers to save time, and the number of passengers transported, which is now about 1.4 million people, also helped reduce air pollution and the use of private transport.

In addition, the department reported that the main city highways, consisting of 36 corridors with a length of 472 km, are being equipped with an intelligent traffic management system and “smart” traffic lights, and the busiest streets, including Shota Rustaveli and Amir Temur streets, are being reconstructed.

It was also noted that specialists are implementing the “Intelligent Transport” system on Navoi, Beruni, Farhad, Keles, and several other streets, and sensors, remotely controlled traffic lights, and violation detection cameras have begun operating on the 3rd kilometer of Ohangaron Street. In 11 of the busiest routes, 116 intersections with smart directions were also organized.

The department emphasized that for the integration of the agglomeration, specialists are developing plans to connect the suburban area with Tashkent through unified bus routes. In particular, 200 electric buses are expected to be delivered to Toshshahartransxizmat JSC in October 2025, and another 1,000 new buses will be added to them by 2026, extending routes to settlements around the capital.

At the same time, the Ministry of Transport also reminded of plans to launch night routes and tourist transport to serve “tourist streets” and railway stations on the streets of Tashkent. Within its framework, 15 night bus routes will operate from 22:00 to 06:00, connecting the most popular and important locations of the capital.

Earlier, it was reported that in Uzbekistan, toll roads can only be built if there is a free alternative. The cost of travel on such roads will be assessed taking into account the interests of the population and businesses.