Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Tashkent will purchase 200 buses from the Chinese company BYD, announced Uzbekistan’s Minister of Transport Ilkhom Makhkamov in an interview with the Oʻzbekiston 24 television channel.

The minister also mentioned that 12 new metro trains will be acquired for the capital.

He noted that 1,000 buses are planned to be delivered to regional centers.

Ilkhom Makhkamov emphasized that the head of Uzbekistan has instructed to procure the buses by the end of the year.

The Minister of Transport also announced the intention to gradually phase out the use of cash in public transport. Instead, tickets will be available for purchase online.

This process will initially be implemented in Tashkent.

At the end of June, BYD signed a cooperation agreement with the government of Uzbekistan as part of the "Green Transport" initiative, supporting the transition to new energy vehicles in the country.

According to the agreement, BYD and the government of Uzbekistan will jointly promote certification rules and policies for new energy vehicles, stimulating the development of the entire NEV supply chain industry.

Tashkent will be positioned as a model city for environmentally friendly transport, and knowledge about new energy vehicles will be widely disseminated in the Uzbek market.