In Tashkent, cash payments on buses have been eliminated. Have the issues been resolved?

Most surveyed passengers indicated that they pay for their rides using bank cards. However, challenges with transitioning to cashless payments are most commonly observed among schoolchildren and elderly individuals. The primary reasons include a lack of plastic cards, unfamiliarity with mobile applications, and insufficient information kiosks at all bus stops.

Situation with Information Kiosks

"Specific timelines for equipping all bus stops in the city with information kiosks have not yet been established. Work is ongoing in a continuous manner. Currently, kiosks are being installed within a radius of up to 300 meters from bus stops. For instance, if you do not find a device near the stop, it may be located 50–100 meters to the left or right of it," — explained the spokesperson for the Transport Control Inspection, Firdavs Khayriddinov.

As of today, there are 2,600 bus stops in Tashkent, with over 5,000 information kiosks operating nearby. Given that the system is new, an analysis of needs is underway, and it is planned to install 2–3 devices at busier stops.

Advantages and Issues

The move away from cash payments facilitates the complete and transparent consolidation of funds received from passenger transport. It also helps reduce the duration of bus stops along routes, ensuring timely arrivals from point A to point B. However, the implementation of the new system has revealed several issues:

- Insufficient number of information kiosks at all stops.

- Challenges with payments through devices . For example, to purchase a ticket via a Paynet kiosk, one must use a single 2,000 som banknote and a 1,000 som banknote, or three 1,000 som banknotes. However, since 2022, the Central Bank has ceased issuing 1,000 som banknotes, replacing them with coins. But the ATMs and information kiosks do not accept coins, creating inconveniences for passengers.

Such shortcomings require prompt solutions to ensure a comfortable and efficient use of the new system.

Furthermore, when depositing a large amount into an ATM, the change is not returned to the user in cash but is credited to the specified phone number. This creates additional inconveniences for passengers purchasing QR tickets. Additionally, tickets bought through information kiosks are single-use and quickly crumple, tear, etc.

Passengers also encounter situations where the kiosks run out of receipt paper, which further complicates the purchase of QR tickets.

What do transportation control representatives say?

"It is impossible to resolve the issue of the lack of paper in the information kiosk remotely. In such cases, passengers are advised to call the phone numbers indicated near the device. Given the increased demand for single-use tickets, responsible individuals have been instructed to replenish the kiosks with paper more frequently. Previously, paper was loaded every two days, but now this is done every 3–5 hours. In cases where the paper has run out, passengers can take a photo of the receipt and use it for scanning on the bus," — explained the spokesperson for the Transport Control Inspection, Firdavs Khayriddinov.

What do bus drivers say?

According to drivers, cash is not accepted from passengers without a single-use ticket. If a passenger does not have a transport or bank card, mobile application, or QR ticket, they can be taken to their destination with a warning:

"Compared to January 1, most people have already adapted to the new system. However, every day 20–30 passengers board the bus without a ticket. Some of them face a lack of funds on their card to pay for the ride. In such cases, we take them to their destination with a request to pay the fare next time. No cash is accepted for the ride," says one of the drivers.

Another driver noted that monitoring payments by card in the middle and back sections of the bus is challenging. This is because when paying through a mobile application, a QR ticket appears on the screen, while a single-use ticket is issued in the form of a paper receipt. However, when paying by card, the passenger does not receive any confirmation of payment, complicating verification.

Problems Require Solutions

The cashless payment system remains useful and transparent but still requires improvements to eliminate the inconveniences associated with using information kiosks, single-use tickets, and monitoring payments on buses.

"When a plastic card, mobile application, or QR ticket is scanned, the device emits a single beep. If payment is not made, a double beep sounds. We monitor the payment process using these sounds; however, it is impossible to keep track of the situation in the middle and back parts of the bus," — explained the bus driver.

The spokesperson for the Transport Control Inspection added that all buses of "Toshshahartranskhizmat" are equipped with cameras, and the control staff monitors the payment process. According to him, the payment culture among the population is quite high, and instances of fare evasion are extremely rare.

"Currently, due to the refusal of cash payments, passengers wishing to pay in cash simply get off at stops. It is difficult to say exactly how long this will continue. But as soon as residents fully appreciate the convenience of electronic payments, attempts to pay in cash will gradually disappear," — noted spokesperson Firdavs Khayriddinov.

According to Article 144 of the Administrative Responsibility Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, traveling on a trolleybus, tram, or bus operating in the city and its surroundings without a ticket is punishable by a fine of one-tenth of the basic calculation value (BCV). Thus, for fare evasion on a bus, a passenger may be fined 37,500 som.

It is worth noting that a ticket purchased through information kiosks costs 3,000 som, while electronic payment is 1,700 som. Additionally, using multiple buses within one hour is cheaper: for the first ride — 1,700 som, for the second — 700 som, and for the third — free of charge.

Diyorakhon Nabijonova, Kun.uz