Smartcard fare payment system (SFPS) will be fully introduced for Tashkent public transport before Q2 2020, the director of Transport and Logistics Development Center under the Ministry of Transport, Murad Abidov announced at a briefing on Monday.
Anvar Juraev, head of the Tashkent Transport Department, noted that in Q1 of 2020, SFPS will be used for all transport modes in the capital.
Passengers touch smartcards on an electronic reader when entering and leaving the transport system in order to validate it or deduct funds from the stored credit. Passengers may also be able to pay via mobile phones and one-time tickets with QR code. It will be possible to purchase cards at points of sale, the subway, at airports, railway and ticket offices.
Smartcards can be topped up via ATMs, kiosks, payment terminals and a mobile app. Payment with contactless payment cards Uzcard, Humo, Visa, Mastercard and others will also be possible.
Cards can hold period tickets; travel permits and; most commonly, credit for travel ("Pay as you go"), which must be added to the card before travel.
From August 2020, SFPS will be available in Nukus and provincial centers, and as of 2021 across the whole country. This is provided for by a government decree signed on November 25.
