DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, October 27. In Tajikistan's Khujand city, the administrative center of the Sughd region, public bus transportation services have been temporarily suspended due to high diesel fuel prices, Trend reports.
Muzaffar Rakhimkhudzhaev, the director of "Passenger Transport of Khujand City," state-owned enterprise said that discussions with fuel suppliers have been ongoing for the past two to three days to address the issue of reducing fuel prices.
He also mentioned that around 70-80 percent of public transport passengers, particularly those using buses, are eligible for free rides, which impacts the enterprise's operations.
Rakhimkhudzhaev mentioned that bus services in the city will resume on Monday.
According to the management of the State Communal Enterprise "Passenger Transport of Khujand City," 24-26 buses are scheduled to operate in the city on a daily basis. As of October 27, diesel fuel prices at city center gas stations in Dushanbe stand at 10.8 somoni per liter ($0.98).
Since August 2018, 100 new Russian-made buses have been operating in Khujand. These buses were acquired as part of the "Development of Public Transport in Khujand City" project, supported by the Tajikistan government and financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).