Over 6,000 passengers penalized for fare evasion in Tashkent

More than 6,000 people in Tashkent have been penalized this year for failing to pay their fares, the Ministry of Transport reported.

According to the agency, the Transport Control Inspectorate and the Tashkent City Public Transport Monitoring and Control State Agency continue to carry out intensified inspections targeting passengers who travel on city buses without paying.

Since the beginning of the year, administrative measures have been taken against 6,182 violators.

For reference, Article 144 of the Code of Administrative Responsibility of the Republic of Uzbekistan stipulates that transporting goods without paying the fare on trolleybuses, trams, city and suburban buses, or route taxis carries a fine of one-tenth of the basic calculation amount (41,200 soums) per item of cargo.

It should be noted that starting January 1 of this year, the acceptance of cash payments on buses was discontinued. From that date, the flat fare for passengers on Tashkent’s buses and metro was set at 3,000 soums. At the same time, the rate for payments made through electronic systems—such as transport or bank cards—remained unchanged at 1,700 soums. Officials have stressed that cash fares will no longer be accepted on buses. Later, Deputy Head of the Transport Control Inspectorate Sanjar Turgunov stated at a press conference of the Agency for Information and Mass Communications that an additional fee system for boarding buses with excess baggage is expected to be introduced.