Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Moscow Government – Moscow Government –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The capital continues to develop its public transportation ticket system. Residents and visitors to the city already have access to the world's widest choice of payment methods and a flexible fare menu to suit passengers' needs. Sergei Sobyanin announced this on his channel in messenger MAX.
Student travel passes and tickets in the capital are the most affordable among major Russian cities.
Last year, modern and innovative turnstiles and ticket vending machines manufactured in Moscow began to be installed in the metro. By 2026, another 85 turnstiles will be installed at 25 stations. Thanks to their compact design, the number of passageways will increase by 20 percent. In addition, 450 of the most innovative terminals and ticket vending machines manufactured in Moscow are planned to be installed.
"The new turnstiles, in turn, will increase metro station capacity by up to 40 percent. And the innovative terminals operate faster, doubling the speed of passenger service," the Moscow Mayor noted.
Source: Sergei Sobyanin's channel inMAX messenger
For the fifth year in a row, biometrics remains the most cost-effective payment method. In 2025, it became available at all turnstiles at all metro stations and the Moscow Central Circle (MCC), covering more than four thousand turnstiles. Over the past year, the number of passengers boarding public transportation using facial recognition technology has doubled, exceeding 710,000. Plans for 2026 include the introduction of biometric payment at all Moscow Central Diameters (MCD) stations and on ground-based public transportation. This is the most convenient and secure domestic fare payment service, wholly owned by the Moscow Government.
More than 75 percent of metro rides are paid for with the Troika card. Starting May 23, 2024, a virtual Troika card will be available for smartphones running any operating system (iOS, Android). This means passengers no longer need to use plastic. With the digital card, the time from ticket purchase to fare payment takes less than one minute. Since the service's launch, 270,000 virtual Troika cards have been issued. In 2025, passengers used them to pay for more than nine million rides.
City residents also pay using QR codes through the Faster Payments system. Since this option was introduced on public transport, it has been used more than 24 million times. This secure domestic payment service is owned by the Bank of Russia.
In addition, for the convenience of public transport passengers, multifunctional mobile applications are being developed: "Moscow Metro" (20.4 million downloads, more than three million active users), "Moscow Transport" (over 9.5 million downloads, 1.1 million active users), and "Parking Russia" (over 12 million downloads, 2.7 million active users).
"To further expand the range of innovative solutions for passengers, the Moscow Transport IT department has been established as a separate entity," added Sergei Sobyanin.
The new IT company MTTECH is wholly owned by the Moscow Government.
Improving accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility
The capital is constantly working to improve the comfort of travel for passengers, including those with limited mobility. To assist them, the Passenger Mobility Center (PMC) was established in 2013. It is available to residents with hearing, vision, or mobility impairments, as well as senior citizens and parents with children under seven.
"In particular, specialists from the Passenger Mobility Center provide free accompaniment to passengers at metro stations and the Moscow Central Circle (MCC) along their entire route, providing information support. Over the past year, the number of accompaniment routes provided by the Center has increased by 15, bringing the total to 370," noted Sergei Sobyanin.
For example, you can now order support to the "Professions of the Future" practical training center and the Moscow State Linguistic University.
Over the entire period of the center’s operation, its services have been used more than 1.3 million times, and in 2025 – more than 78 thousand times.
Today, 263 Moscow metro stations are equipped with special navigation systems for passengers with reduced mobility.
You can submit a request for support on the website mosmetro.ru, in the Moscow Metro app, through the Alexandra chatbot, and through the TSOM contact center.
Subscribe to Sergei Sobyanin's official channels on messengers MAX AndTelegram.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.