According to him, when the fare was increased, the authorities promised that cash payments would be completely eliminated by 2025. However, as Ergeshov noted, no changes are being observed. “We have a plan for drivers to hand over money every month. But these are not private carriers. How can such a plan be established? If drivers collect cash, they have their own interests, and a large portion of these funds bypasses the city budget, remaining in their pockets. This is absolutely wrong,” he exclaimed.
Ruslan Isakov, a representative of the Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development, assured that by 2026 all buses would switch to cashless payments.
At the moment, according to him, drivers need to meet a plan that ranges from three to four thousand soms per day, depending on the route.
“You give three thousand soms to the city, three thousand remain with you, and this is added to your salary. This is not a private company, but a municipal structure. Either we need to introduce control over payments, or switch to cashless transactions. This issue remains open, and we will discuss it with the vice-mayor,” Ergeshov added.
Additionally, he raised the issue of the lack of public transport in certain areas of the city: “Private carriers do not adhere to the schedule, do not reach the final stops, and the interval between buses is too long. Moreover, in new areas, there are many narrow streets where large buses cannot pass each other.”
Isakov reported that in 2026, the purchase of 625 eight-meter buses for narrow roads is planned, which will be launched on new routes. The schemes have already been developed and should be approved in the next 10-15 days.
