According to the draft presidential decree defining the strategy for developing local passenger transport in Uzbekistan until 2030, the waiting time for buses in Tashkent has been reduced by more than half—from the previous 18–20 minutes to 8–10 minutes. Simultaneously, the average speed of transport has increased from 18 km/h to 21 km/h.
The document analyzes reforms implemented in recent years, highlighting successes in improving public transport operations, expanding route networks, and updating the fleet of buses and electric buses. The daily number of public transport passengers in Tashkent has increased from 650,000 to 1.4 million people.
1024 new public transport routes have been created across Uzbekistan, providing access to transport services for an additional 3687 mahallas. Since 2023, Uzbekistan has been operating a gross value contracting model, under which carriers are paid for adhering to schedules, distance traveled, and service quality, rather than for the number of passengers transported.
By the end of the first half of 2026, 290 bus routes were transferred to this system, including 169 routes in Tashkent and 121 routes in other regions. During the implementation period of the reforms, 2005 buses and 646 electric buses were purchased for public transport, totaling 2651 new vehicles.
Railway infrastructure has also seen significant development. Over the last decade, Uzbekistan has built more than 600 km of new railway lines. The Bukhara–Urgench–Khiva railway segment, spanning 465 km, has been electrified, raising the share of electrified lines from 43% in 2022 to 53.2%. Travel time between Tashkent and Khiva has decreased from 14 hours to 7 hours and 40 minutes. Passenger traffic on railways has grown from 9.6 million in 2023 to 10.5 million in 2025.
Three EP3D electric trains were purchased for suburban passenger transport, and a contract was signed with the Czech company Škoda Transportation for the supply of another 10 electric trains. Furthermore, the feasibility study for building a dedicated high-speed railway line between Tashkent and Samarkand has been completed.
In the aviation sector, 11 airports have undergone reconstruction, and the number of air routes has increased from 167 to 206. The cost of passenger and cargo transportation services has risen from 84 trillion soms in 2022 to 188.3 trillion soms in 2025, representing a threefold increase over three years.
Despite the improvements achieved, the strategy project indicates that the insufficient integration of various modes of transport remains a persistent problem. Currently, Uzbekistan lacks a unified digital transport platform or an integrated ticketing system. Schedules of different carriers remain uncoordinated, and direct connections between airports, railway stations, and bus terminals are often unavailable. The transport development strategy until 2030 aims to partially address these shortcomings and enhance coordination in passenger transport.
