The winner of the auction to install new bus stops in Tashkent is EWI Snacks, a company specializing in snack production. This has raised questions as the investor lacks relevant experience in constructing bus stop structures.
The city administration explained that the process was not a competition but an electronic auction for leasing state property. The auction was conducted through the E-auksion operator, which is not subordinate to the administration.
“In an auction, it is impossible to set additional requirements for participants in advance—such as experience in the field, production capacity, or special equipment. The main criterion is the offered price. Based on this indicator, EWI Snacks became the winner by offering the highest amount among three participants,” said international legal expert Yekaterina Kochergina.
A total of 230 stops with advertising space and another 230 without advertising were put up for auction. The latter are intended for installation inside mahallas and remote areas. All requirements for investors, including landscaping, greening, and maintenance, were published in advance.
According to the expert, participants do not always carefully study the terms before submitting an application. She cited an example where a company won the right to install 50 stops but later refused to sign the contract. Kochergina did not comment on penalties for such refusal.
Currently, EWI Snacks has begun installing some stops, but the administration has not officially accepted them because the investor has not fulfilled all contract terms. In case of violations, official requests and demands to rectify shortcomings are first sent. If the situation does not change, the State Property Lease Center may go to court to terminate the contract. The administration cannot unilaterally cancel the agreement.
Earlier, Uzbekistan's Anti-Corruption Agency inspected the modernization of bus stops in Tashkent. The inspection revealed that 120 stops planned for commissioning in May–June 2026 were not officially accepted due to violations and shortcomings.
Source: podrobno.uz