Experts assessed the results of the development of the Moscow ticket system in 2023

Intensive development of innovative payment methods is the goal of the coming years

In 2023, the fare payment system in Moscow public transport continued to improve. The biometric method of paying for travel is becoming more and more common; The capabilities of Troika cards are also expanding. The development of the ticket system not only increases convenience for passengers and reduces the load on ticket offices, but also gives impetus to the development of Russian high technologies, transport experts believe. Intensive development of innovative payment methods is the goal of the coming years.

A single tariff space and fare payment system, which applies to all new types of transport, is the most noticeable improvement in Moscow’s urban transport in recent years. In 2023, in particular, the biometric passenger identification system continued to be developed, making it possible to pay for travel directly at the turnstiles without using a Troika card, a bank card or a Muscovite card. Payment by biometrics, in particular, now also works on all Aeroexpress railway routes and on regular river routes, which were put into operation last year as a year-round urban mode of transport. In total, more than 330 thousand users are registered in the biometric payment system, the Department of Transport reports.

“Every year we improve the Moscow ticket system and make it even more convenient according to the task of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin,” notes Maxim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow in the Moscow Government for Transport. – For example, in 2023, they began testing the activation of remote top-up of Troika directly at metro turnstiles, linking Muscovite cards to biometrics. Another important change concerns young Muscovites – now students can buy a profitable single subscription for all city transport. There is no such solution in any major city in Russia.”

The fact that the ticket system, which is now one of the most progressive in the world, continues to develop is the key to success and maintaining its modern status, says Sabina Tsvetkova, chairman of the transport commission of the Public Chamber of Moscow. “I have identified three conceptual principles that underlie our system,” the expert notes. “This is a constant increase in convenience, the development of innovative Russian technologies and attentive attention to the opinions of Muscovites.”

According to Tsvetkova, in 2023, linking Muscovite cards to a personal account in the Moscow Metro application began working. As a result, benefit passengers can track the history of their trips, and students can buy and sign up for passes without going to the ticket office.

“Or another example: almost 4 thousand turnstiles in the metro and on the MCC were updated,” the social activist emphasizes. – Now they all accept payment by bank card. Turnstiles have become faster to operate and more convenient for visually impaired passengers. As we see, every action, every new product and every update of the ticket system reduces the load on ticket offices, reduces queues at turnstiles, and ultimately makes our trips more convenient.

Member of the Public Council of the Ministry of Transport of Russia Norayr Bludyan notes another advantage of the Moscow ticket system, which appeared in 2023. This is complete import substitution of the production of Troika cards. “What is Troika today for the capital? This is the cornerstone of the entire ticket system,” explains Bludyan. – This is about 80% of trips on public transport every day, free transfers between different modes of transport, convenient tariff solutions, the highest response speed and much more. Complete localization of transport card production is a key event in 2023.”

In 2023, the Moscow ticket system has expanded to 11 more regions of Russia. This is important not only for passengers who retain the usual “ecosystem” of paying for travel, but also, first of all, for transport workers: Moscow solutions are the most mature, and due to their scale, their support is cheaper.