The key facts

  • In ten months of 2026, 138,780 protocols for fare non-payment were issued in Tashkent
  • 70.4% of violators are citizens aged 18–30, 22% are 16–17-year-olds; more than 75% are men
  • In November, an average of 862 violations per day was recorded, compared with 350 in August

Scale of violations

The Ministry of Transport reported that in ten months since the beginning of the year, controllers on Tashkent buses drew up 138,780 administrative protocols for fare non-payment. According to the ministry, from January 1 to November 9, 146,537 protocols were drawn up under Article 144 of the Code of Administrative Liability, of which 7,757 were in the first nine days of November, that is, an average of 862 violators per day. In October alone, about 25.6 thousand protocols were drawn up — 18.4% of the total for ten months.

Who most often does not pay

The majority of violators, according to the Ministry of Transport, are young people: in 97,747 cases (70.4%), protocols were drawn up against citizens aged 18–30, and in another 30,533 cases (22%) against passengers aged 16–17. In gender terms, men predominate — 105,272 protocols, more than 75% of cases; women accounted for 33,508 cases.

Why it matters and what was discussed earlier

The ministry emphasized that fare non-payment negatively affects the financial sustainability of public transport: revenues determine the timely operation of buses, their maintenance, drivers' salaries, and the quality of services. Controllers of the state institution for monitoring and supervision in the field of passenger transportation in Tashkent constantly check payment and explain how to use electronic payment methods.

Dynamics after pay-at-entry was introduced

Earlier, the Ministry of Transport noted an increase in the number of fare evaders after pay-at-entry was introduced on September 1: in the first eight days of the new rule, 4,696 protocols were drawn up — an average of 587 per day, whereas for the whole of August there were 10,843 violations, or 350 daily. Comparing these figures with the November indicator (862 protocols per day) shows that the intensity of drawing up violation reports has grown noticeably over several months. In August, Muhammadjon Kahhorov, director of the Tashkent enterprise for monitoring and control of passenger transportation, said a proposal had been made to increase fines for fare evasion by 5–10 times: for the first violation — 50% of the BRV (220,000 soums), for a repeat violation — 1 BRV (440,000 soums). It was also reported that from 2030 there is a proposal to completely abandon cash payments on buses and electric trains.