Kazakhstan's capital plans to bring back cash payments on public transport, but passengers will pay twice as much as they would with a cashless transaction. The proposal is outlined in a draft resolution by the Astana akimat published earlier, according to infohub.kz.
The changes will affect not only regular city buses but also express, socially significant, and suburban routes.
Under the draft, the fare will depend on the payment method and the type of route. On regular city buses, cashless fares will rise from 110 to 150 tenge, while cash payments will cost 300 tenge.
On express routes, the fares will be as follows: 300 tenge for cashless payment, up from the previous 250 tenge, and 400 tenge for cash, up from the previously set 350 tenge.
On suburban routes, the fare is calculated per kilometer. For cashless payment, the rate will increase from 9.5 to 13 tenge per kilometer, and for cash, from 14 to 19 tenge per kilometer.
For socially significant routes, the same fares as regular city buses are proposed: 150 tenge for cashless payment and 300 tenge for cash. Free travel for passengers with discounted transport cards will remain.
The draft also states that if the electronic payment system fails, passengers who intended to pay cashlessly will be able to ride for free.
Cash payments on public transport in the capital were abolished in March 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic. At that time, authorities limited contact between passengers and drivers and allowed only cashless payment. However, cash fares continued to be listed in akimat documents. For example, a July 2024 resolution set the cost of a regular cash trip at 220 tenge. Now the new draft also provides for cash payment, but at higher fares. However, the document does not specify how exactly passengers will be able to pay cash on buses or when this option will become available.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that the Astana akimat planned to raise city bus fares from 110 to 150 tenge for cashless payment starting December 1, 2026. Authorities cited rising carrier costs as the reason for the increase. According to the akimat, diesel fuel has risen in price from 107 to 329 tenge per liter since 2014. Over the same period, driver salaries have increased. Previously, they earned an average of 100,000–150,000 tenge, but now their earnings start at 700,000 tenge depending on the bus class and work schedule.
As the Astana transport department clarified to Kursiv, the draft resolution must still be approved by the public council and the maslikhat, and then registered with the Ministry of Justice. The new fares will take effect ten calendar days after the first official publication of the resolution. Thus, if the document passes all necessary procedures, the higher fares could come into force in December. Cash payments on the capital's buses could also return at that time.