On September 21, 2026, a new way to pay fares was launched on Nizhny Novgorod trams — through the Yandex Go app. The launch of the service was announced by the Nizhny Novgorod Region Transport Systems Development Center (TsRTS). The project was implemented with the support of the Ministry of Transport and Roads of Nizhny Novgorod Region.[1][2]
How it works
The key feature of the service is payment via Bluetooth. A Bluetooth beacon is installed in every tram car: the app detects it when a passenger boards and offers to buy a ticket for the exact route the vehicle is running on. To get a ticket, the passenger must turn on Bluetooth on their smartphone, open the "Transport" section on the Yandex Go home page, and tap the "Buy ticket" button; once the phone picks up the beacon's signal, the passenger selects the route, specifies the number of tickets, and confirms payment. The fare is charged to the card linked to Yandex services.[1][3]
The purchased ticket is saved in the "My ticket" section and in the app's order history; during inspection, it is shown to the fare inspector on the smartphone screen.[2][4]
Context and development plans
According to Aleksandr Bachurin, acting director of the TsRTS (Center for the Development of Passenger Transport), the launch of the new payment method is aimed at expanding the availability of cashless payments through modern technologies.[3] At the time of launch, the service worked only on trams; in the near term it was planned to extend it to electric buses and trolleybuses, and later to the buses of Nizhegorodpassazhiravtotrans.[1][5]
The new payment method supplements the cashless options already in place: the Citycard transport card (including the virtual version), the Nizhny Novgorod Region Resident Card, bank cards, single-ride tickets, as well as the option of loading a travel pass onto a Sberbank card, which had appeared shortly before.[1][3]
Sources
- NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — Fares on Nizhny Novgorod trams can now be paid through Yandex Go, Nizhny Novgorod News (archive)
- Newsroom24 — In Nizhny Novgorod, tram fares can be paid through "Yandex Go" — Transport
- Vremya N — Passengers will be able to pay for rides on Nizhny Novgorod public transport in a new way
- Open Nizhny — In Nizhny Novgorod trams, it will become possible to pay through Yandex Go
- Zhivyom v Nizhnem — Fare payment on trams via "Yandex Go" launched in Nizhny Novgorod — Zhivyom v Nizhnem (archive)