Starting September 1, 2026, fines for fare evasion on buses operating under gross contracts in Tashkent are expected to increase significantly. This was announced by Muhammadjon Qahhorov, Director of the State Institution for Monitoring and Control of Passenger Transportation in Tashkent, on the 'Uzbekistan 24' TV channel.

Proposals submitted to the Legislative Chamber suggest that first-time offenders would face a fine of half the base calculation value (BCV), equivalent to 220,000 soums, while repeat offenders could be fined up to one BCV, or 440,000 soums. This represents a tenfold increase compared to the current fine of 41,200 soums.

Passengers are required to pay their fare upon boarding by tapping their transport or social card on a validator, or by using bank cards, smartphones, and other contactless payment methods. If a passenger fails to pay or does not confirm their eligibility for a discount, they are considered to be traveling without a ticket.

Inspectors use special tablets to detect fare evaders, checking whether payment was made via transport or bank cards. In the first seven months of 2026, over 82,000 passengers were found to have not paid their fares, and more than 2 billion soums in fines were collected from them.

According to the Administrative Responsibility Code, Article 144, Part 5, a fine of one-tenth of the BCV — 41,200 soums (44,000 soums from September 1) — is currently imposed on fare evaders on trolleybuses, trams, and city or suburban buses.

It is worth noting that fines for fare evasion were introduced on March 14, 2025, and by the end of that year, 22,500 passengers had been caught traveling without tickets. Toshshahartranskhizmat has also announced plans to implement AI-based monitoring of fare evaders in the near future.

Source: www.gazeta.uz