"Siticard" is the transport card system of Nizhny Novgorod Region, the operator of cashless fare payment on public transportation. The legal entity is OOO "Siticard", located at: Nizhny Novgorod, Kazanskaya Square, 1.[1]
Cards and Fares
The system offers several types of transport cards. The personal transport card is issued free of charge and is linked to the holder's passport and SNILS (individual insurance account number); it takes 14 days to produce. A non-personal card is provided after payment of an activation fee. In addition, specialized cards are issued: the "Nizhny Novgorod Region Resident Card" for people eligible for benefits, schoolchildren, and students, as well as a discounted transport card, a student card, and a schoolchild card — all three are provided free of charge. Students are offered a discounted electronic wallet that gives a 50% discount off the fare on suburban routes. Schoolchildren in rural areas can receive a free travel pass.[2][1]
Cardholders can use an electronic wallet (payment for single trips at a discount relative to the cash fare) or an electronic travel pass for a set number of trips or for a period of time. Holders of regular transport cards can use an electronic wallet with free transfers within 60 or 90 minutes on trips by city transport, marshrutkas (fixed-route minibuses), and the city commuter train.[2] A pass for the cable car saves up to 30% and can be loaded onto a card at the same time as a city transport fare.[3]
In addition to plastic cards, a virtual transport card is available for paying fares with a smartphone, as well as the option of paying with an ordinary contactless bank card on the Mir, Visa, and Mastercard payment systems.[1]
Coverage and Infrastructure
The system accepts payment on six types of transport: trams, trolleybuses, buses, the Metro, suburban electric trains, and the cable car. The network has more than 5,600 terminals, and about 34 million trips are recorded in the system each month. According to the operator, 88 out of every 100 trips on Nizhny Novgorod public transport are paid for by non-cash means.[3]
A card's balance can be topped up through cashiers, terminals in metro station lobbies, offices of the MFC (multifunctional public services center), or remotely through mobile apps, in particular GorodPay. The operator has also released its own mobile app, "SITIKARD," for the Android platform.[2] With remote top-ups, the funds arrive within 24 hours as a deferred payment, which must then be activated by tapping the card on a terminal in a vehicle or in the metro.[4]
Place in the Fare Payment System
"Sitikard" is one of several ways to pay fares without cash on Nizhny Novgorod public transport. Alongside it operate the "Nizhny Novgorod Region Resident Card," ordinary contactless bank cards, single-ride tickets, and the option of setting up a travel pass on a Sberbank card. In 2026, payment through the "Yandex Go" service was added to this list, launched first on electric buses and trolleybuses and then extended to the buses of "Nizhegorodpassazhiravtotrans."[1]
Sources
- siticard.ru — Sitikard — Transport Fare Payment Cards (archive)
- siticard.ru — As of July 2026, the system covers seven types of transport: trams, trolleybuses, buses, electric buses, the metro, suburban electric trains, and the cable car (archive)
- web.archive.org — Sitikard — Personal Transport Card (archive)
- gorodpay.ru — Top Up Your Sitikard Transport Card in Nizhny Novgorod Online (archive)
- ru.wikivoyage.org — Nizhny Novgorod — Wikivoyage Travel Guide (archive)