Amendments have been made to the legislation to form legal mechanisms that will ensure the application of autonomous vehicles within the framework of the implementation of the "Action Plan for the Acceleration of Digital Development in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2026–2028 years".
It was reported to "Bakupost" from the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport that the document provides for the creation of normative-legal and institutional bases for the application of autonomous technologies in surface transport. For the first time, the concepts of "autonomous vehicle", "operator", and "remote control center" have been established in legislation, and high and fully automated driving levels have also been defined.
These changes will enable:
• driverless buses operating on special routes;
• driverless metro trains;
• autonomous trucks operating in logistics centers and industrial zones;
• legal operation of remotely controlled tram and railway systems.
Autonomous vehicles will only be able to operate after state registration and being put into operation in areas determined by authorized bodies. For example, in the initial stage, it will be possible to test and operate driverless buses on designated special lanes or limited routes.
The operation process will be supervised by operators working under special certification. This means that even if there is no driver in the vehicle, the operator in the remote control center will monitor the system's operation and be able to intervene if necessary.
According to the draft law:
• testing of autonomous vehicles in a regulatory test environment;
• creation of remote control centers;
• transmission of data to state information systems in real-time;
• data must be stored for a period of at least 6 months.
One of the notable innovations of the project is the application of a special "Autonomous Vehicle" recognition sign to distinguish autonomous vehicles from others.
For your information, these technologies are already being implemented in various parts of the world. For example, autonomous buses and taxis are in the testing and operation phase in China, the UAE, and the USA.
Thus, the proposed changes create a legal basis for the implementation of future transport solutions in Azerbaijan – driverless buses, autonomous metro and railway systems. This will serve to manage transport more safely, efficiently, and on a technological basis.
