Ministry proposes banning cash fares on commuter trains, suburban and intercity buses from 2030

The measure is outlined in the draft Strategy for the Integrated Development of Domestic Passenger Transportation until 2030. According to the document, currently about 70% of passengers on these routes pay in cash. By 2030, this share is expected to be reduced to zero.

To encourage passengers to adopt electronic tickets, the draft proposes offering a discount of at least 20% on them for the same trains and buses between January 1, 2027, and December 31, 2029. In the action plan, the start date for the discount is listed differently—March 1, 2027. The Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and Uzbekistan Railways are tasked with drafting tariff rules, settlement procedures, and a compensation mechanism for carriers' discounts. As Gazeta.uz noted, the action plan states that the discounts will not require additional funding, but the document does not specify from which funds the carriers will be reimbursed for losses.

Another proposed perk applies to holders of electronic tickets for long-distance trains: they are planned to be allowed free travel on commuter trains in the relevant region within 12 hours before the departure of the main train and for half a day after arrival. The procedure is to be developed and introduced before September 1, 2027, by the Ministry of Transport and Uzbekistan Railways.

Among the other goals of the strategy are increasing annual domestic passenger traffic to 2 billion by 2030 and launching the Bir yo'l unified digital transport platform in 2028. Comments on the draft will be accepted until November 11.