Fines for passengers caught repeatedly riding buses without paying their fare could increase tenfold, the Transport Ministry has announced.
According to the ministry, a Cabinet of Ministers resolution dated June 3, 2026 (No. 276) tasked relevant government agencies with proposing tougher penalties for fare evasion. Draft proposals have already been developed and submitted to the Legislative Chamber of parliament.
"Under the proposals, first-time fare evaders would face a fine equal to half of the base calculation unit — which comes to 220,000 soums as of September 1 — while repeat offenders would face a fine of one full base unit, or up to 440,000 soums," said Muhammadjon Qahhorov, director of Tashkent's State Agency for Monitoring and Oversight of Passenger Transportation, in an interview with the Uzbekistan 24 TV channel.
He noted that more than 82,000 passengers were caught riding without paying their fare during the first seven months of 2026. Fines collected from these violations have already exceeded 2 billion soums.
Under the same government resolution, a new system will take effect on September 1, 2026, requiring passengers in Tashkent to pay their fare immediately upon boarding the bus. Passengers who fail to pay after boarding will be treated as fare evaders, and inspectors will be authorized to fine them under Part 5 of Article 144 of the Code of Administrative Liability, which covers fare evasion on public transport.
Under current rules, riding without a ticket on trolleybuses, trams, or intracity and suburban buses carries a fine equal to one-tenth of the base calculation unit — currently 41,200 soums.
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