A new bus route has been launched between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, connecting the city of Almalyk in Tashkent region, Uzbekistan, with the city of Khujand in Tajikistan’s Sughd province. Buses will now travel daily in both directions.
Tajikistan's Ministry of Transport confirmed this news to Asia-Plus, stating that the route is organized by the Uzbek company Olmaliq Isuzu Trans in partnership with Tajikistan's Khujand Trans Service on a contractual basis.
The bus departs from Almalyk at 7:00 am, with the fare set at 60,000 Uzbek soms (approximately 50 Tajik somonis). The return bus leaves Khujand the next day at 10:00 am, arriving in Almalyk around 3:00 pm, with the ticket costing 60 somonis.
According to Khujand Trans Service, buses have made two trips on this route, but both companies are concerned about the low number of passengers.
It has also come to light that the Tajik company Asian Express, which previously operated several routes to Uzbekistan, is currently not running buses to the neighboring country, except for a tourist bus that runs once a week. The company cited low demand as the main reason for halting its services.
The Tajik Ministry of Transport noted that, overall, 15 bus routes have been launched between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, but most of them were discontinued due to a lack of demand.
Currently, only two routes remain active: Khujand-Tashkent-Khujand and the new Khujand-Almalyk-Khujand route.
Bus and air connections between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were unilaterally halted by the Uzbek authorities in 1992. However, after relations improved, air travel between Dushanbe and Tashkent resumed in April 2017 after a 25-year hiatus. In March 2018, the visa regime between the two countries was lifted, allowing citizens to visit each other visa-free for up to 30 days.
The first passenger bus route between Tashkent and Khujand restarted operating in May 2018. Later, Asian Express buses began running from Dushanbe to the Uzbek cities of Denau and Termez, from Penjikent to Samarkand, from Khujand to Kokand, and from Istaravshan to Bekabad.
Service was temporarily suspended during the pandemic and resumed in October 2021.
