“I often use public transport, and in our village, the fare is 20 soms. For each subsequent stop, an additional 5 soms is added. But we often encounter situations where we are charged 30-35 soms for a trip from Aleksandrovka to Sadovoe, which, in my opinion, is completely unacceptable. Children also ride in minibuses, but there is no clear fare. Each village has only 4-5 stops,” she said.
“For example, in Bishkek, the fare is 20 soms, and for that money, you can travel almost across the entire city. But in rural areas, we pay an additional 5 soms for every 5-6 stops. Since the government has merged two villages into one, why not make the fare the same for the entire village?” she added.“Few drivers consider that schoolchildren should pay less for travel. This has always been the case, but now they charge them the same amount as adults,” shared another resident of the Moscow district.
Repeated complaints about inflated prices from drivers have been received by the editorial office of Kaktus.media. The Ministry of Transport, in turn, does not set fares but can influence compliance with discipline among drivers.
The editorial office of Kaktus.media studied how fares are formed and who is responsible for their control. We also gathered information about the current fares in the Chui region.
How fares are set
Let’s start with who is responsible for setting fares for public transport.Issues related to fares in Bishkek are resolved by the city administration and the Bishkek city council. For suburban and intercity routes, fares are set by local authorities.
This is done through decisions of local councils, and changes in fare prices are only possible with their consent. Carriers or drivers do not have the right to raise fares independently.
The Ministry of Transport does not influence the pricing process but monitors compliance to prevent violations.
What to do if prices are inflated?
Monitoring compliance with fares is carried out by the Chui-Bishkek territorial department of the ground and water transport department under the Ministry of Transport.If you encounter a violation, you need to specify the route number, bus number, date, and time of the incident in your complaint.
You can also file a complaint with local authorities, such as the city administration or the rural council, which are also required to monitor compliance with fares for public transport.
Current fares
What fares are currently in effect for suburban routes in the Chui region?Panfilov District:
- Chaldovar - Bishkek - 110 soms;
- Chaldovar - Kara-Balta - 50 soms;
- Chaldovar - Voznesenovka - 40 soms;
- Chaldovar - Poltavka - 60 soms;
- Chaldovar - Petrovka - 70 soms;
- Chaldovar - Belovodskoye - 80 soms;
- Chaldovar - Sadovoe - 85 soms;
- Chaldovar - Aleksandrovka - 90 soms;
- Chaldovar - Sokuluk - 100 soms;
- Chaldovar - Kainidinsky turn - 30 soms;
- Chaldovar - Partsyz - 25 soms;
- Chaldovar - Cholok-Aryk - 20 soms;
- Chaldovar - Salkyn - 20 soms;
- within Chaldovar - 15 soms;
- Kainy - Bishkek - 80 soms;
- Kainy - Kara-Balta - 40 soms.
- Kara-Balta - Bishkek (express) - 90 soms;
- Kara-Balta - "Dordoy" market (express) - 100 soms;
- Kara-Balta - Bishkek (regular) - 80 soms;
- Kara-Balta - Poltavka - Novonikolaevka - 25 soms;
- Kara-Balta - Petrovka - 35 soms;
- Kara-Balta - Belovodskoye - 50 soms;
- Kara-Balta - Sadovoe - 55 soms;
- Kara-Balta - Aleksandrovka - 60 soms;
- Kara-Balta - Sokuluk - 60 soms;
- Kara-Balta - Shopokov - Malovodnoe - 70 soms.
- Belovodskoye - Bishkek - 55 soms;
- Belovodskoye - Sokuluk - 35 soms;
- Belovodskoye - Petrovka - 25 soms;
- Belovodskoye - Kara-Balta - 50 soms;
- Belovodskoye - Panfilovskoye - 60 soms;
- Belovodskoye - Chaldovar - 80 soms.
- Sokuluk (within the district) - 15 soms;
- Sokuluk - Bishkek - 35 soms;
- Sokuluk - Malovodnoe - 20 soms;
- schoolchildren's fare within the district - 10 soms;
- Sokuluk - Belovodskoye - 35 soms;
- Sokuluk - Petrovka - 50 soms;
- Sokuluk - Kara-Balta - 60 soms;
- Sokuluk - Voznesenovka - 70 soms;
- Sokuluk - Panfilovskoye - 80 soms;
- Sokuluk - Partsyz - 90 soms;
- Sokuluk - Chaldovar - 100 soms.
- Lebedinovka - Novopokrovka - 30 soms;
- Lebedinovka - Kirgyshelk - 40 soms;
- Lebedinovka - Luxembourg - 50 soms;
- Lebedinovka - Kant - 50 soms;
- Tokmok (bus station) - Aral - 30 soms;
- Tokmok (bus station) - Hydrobuilder - 40 soms;
- Tokmok (bus station) - Ken-Bulun - 50 soms;
- Tokmok (bus station) - Ivanovka - 50 soms;
- Tokmok (bus station) - Krasnaya Rechka - 60 soms;
- Tokmok (bus station) - Kenesh - 60 soms;
- Tokmok (bus station) - Budyonovka - 60 soms;
- Tokmok (bus station) - Dmitrievka - 65 soms;
- Tokmok (bus station) - Kant - 70 soms;
- Tokmok (bus station) - Luxembourg - 70 soms;
- Tokmok (bus station) - Kirgyshelk - 75 soms;
- Tokmok (bus station) - Novopokrovka - 80 soms;
- Tokmok (bus station) - Lebedinovka - 80 soms.
- Chon-Kemin - Bishkek - 250 soms;
- Chon-Kemin - Tokmok - 200 soms;
- Chon-Kemin - Kemin - 100 soms;
- Fare between villages of the Chon-Kemin district - 20 soms.
Increase in the number of minibuses
Besides the fare, residents often express dissatisfaction with the lack of public transport. In both Bishkek and the Chui region, especially in the evening, getting home becomes a real problem.Although it may seem that complaints in the media and social networks do not lead to results, this is not the case. Government agencies take citizens' dissatisfaction into account and take measures.
Recently, there were complaints on social media about the lack of minibuses after 7:00 PM on the Bishkek - Tokmok route. People were forced to use taxis to get home.
“During monitoring of problematic routes, it was found that on Fridays and Saturdays, the passenger flow on this route significantly increases. To address this issue, a meeting was held with carriers, and instructions were given to ensure the necessary number of trips,” the Ministry of Transport reported.
If necessary, additional reserve minibuses will be allocated for the route, and the number of trips will be increased.
