Flexible fare system: how to save money on public transport rides

To save on public transport fares, Moscow residents can take advantage of free transfers, explains Maxim Liksutov, Deputy Moscow Mayor for Transport.

“Thanks to the service, passengers can transfer for free on all types of ground transport, not only between different routes, but also within the same one. In addition, you can transfer for free within 90 minutes between the metro, MCC and MCD. Moscow has the most sophisticated and flexible fare system among all Russian cities, and we continue to develop it as instructed by Sergei Sobyanin,” Maxim Liksutov said.

To change to ground transport for free, passengers need to link their Troika cards to their user accounts on the Moscow Metro app.

Free transfers at the 90-minute Troika fare

For instance, a passenger enters a Moscow Central Diameter (MCD) station in the Central zone and pays the fare of RUB 54 with the Troika card. Then he or she may transfer to the metro for free and then to a bus or a tram, paying RUB 27 for the ride. After that, the passenger can transfer for free to any other ground transport route, but within 90 minutes after paying RUB 81 at the MCD station.

Free transfers with a Troika, bank card, QPS, Face Pay and smart phone

The Face Pay fare is RUB 50 rubles. If travel is paid with a Troika Travel Card, it is RUB 54 rubles; RUB 61 to be paid in the case of a bank card or QPS fare payment.

Within 90 minutes, a passenger can transfer free of charge and without restrictions between the metro, the Moscow Central Circle (MCC) and MCD. If the metro or MCC ride is paid via the Face Pay system, the passenger should apply their Face Pay enabled bank card to the turnstile to get a free MCD transfer, while in the case of QPS payment, a free 90-minute transfer is available with QR code re-generation at metro and MCC hub stations, only.

Taking ground transport routes with Troika Travel Card

Passengers can transfer free of charge on all types of ground transport, in particular, along the same route, within 90 minutes, if the fare is paid with a Troika card linked to the Moscow Metro user account.

MCD—metro—MCC transfers within 120 minutes

Free metro, MCC or MCD changes are only available to those passengers who pay for the trip with a Troika or a bank card, to be used at the turnstile both at the entrance and exit.

Meanwhile, free 120-minute transfers are offered for the below routes.

D3:

— from Ippodrom and Ramenskoye to Khovrino, Likhobory, and Petrovsko-Razumovskaya, and

— from Zelenograd — Kryukovo station to Veshnyaki, Vykhino and Kosino.

D4:

— from Zheleznodorozhnaya to Aminyevskaya,

— from Aprelevka and Pobeda to Chukhlinka, Nizhegorodskaya, Serp i Molot, and Kurskaya,

— from Kokoshkino and Tolstopaltsevo to Chukhlinka and Nizhegorodskaya,

— from Lesnoy Gorodok to Chukhlinka, and

— from Krekshino and Sanino stations to Chukhlinka, Nizhegorodskaya, and Serp i Molot.

Inter-diameter changes

After launch of D4, passengers can also transfer between diameters free of charge, at Belorusskaya, Kurskaya and Three Stations Square stations, to change between the diameters passengers do not need to apply their cards at the turnstile or validator.