In Irkutsk, municipal transport has begun introducing electronic passes with chips, which should gradually replace paper monthly tickets. During a three month experiment, terminals will record trips and help determine passenger flow, and the cards are already sold at kiosks with different fares and discounts. The article also explains how the new system will work on trams, buses and trolleybuses, what to do if the card is lost, and why the project may become the basis for future reloadable personalized passes.

With the start of the new year, 2015, terminals for reading data from special cards with built-in chips were being installed in all types of municipal transport of the city’s enterprises, trolleybuses, trams, and buses. The new electronic travel cards with a chip are intended to completely replace monthly paper travel tickets. Beginning in spring, the first stage of the experimental fare system will come into force, lasting 3 months; the terminals will record the number of trips made by passengers using these electronic cards. The number of trips on the card will not be limited during this time.
“Our task over the three months while the experiment with the electronic travel pass lasts is to calculate passenger traffic on public transport. On the tram, the electronic ticket will need to be handed to the conductor. The conductor will place it on a special device and read the information from the travel ticket, and then return it to you. A paper receipt for the electronic ticket will not be issued. On trolleybuses and buses, the electronic ticket will need to be shown to the driver when exiting the vehicle. The driver will also place your electronic ticket on a special device installed in his cab. After reading the information from the travel pass, the driver must return the electronic ticket to you,” noted Yulia Gordina, head of the transport department of the city improvement committee of the Irkutsk administration.
Electronic tickets have been sold since February 20 in specialized kiosks (the “Travel Passes” kiosks at stops).
At present, smart cards are sold with different denominations for a period of one month. These are electronic tickets for one mode of transport for 520 rubles, for two for 650 rubles, and for three for 780 rubles. In addition, student smart cards with a 50% discount and school cards, which are free, have been issued. These travel passes are issued at the place of study to schoolchildren in difficult financial circumstances. To obtain them, one must contact the head of the educational institution. A single social ticket for 150 rubles is now also issued in the form of an electronic card, which certain preferential categories of citizens are entitled to receive.
The smart card will be activated from the moment of first use (the first trip on the ticket), and after 31 days its limit will be exhausted. If the card is not activated within the specified period (90 days), the card will become invalid. In the event of loss or damage to this card, one can contact the travel pass sales kiosk and restore it by the identification number; one can also call the number: 550-663.
For all electronic travel tickets with chips purchased by the public, the average number of trips will be recorded. Also, a special system at the exit from transport will record passenger traffic, as a result of which the average number of trips made by various categories of Irkutsk residents will be determined. In the future, information terminals will be installed in municipal buses, trolleybuses, and trams to determine the remaining number of days and trips on the card.
“At present, the regional budget compensates transport enterprises for 30 trips per month for one beneficiary under the single social ticket. If more trips are made, these costs already fall on the enterprise. During the test period, we will determine the exact number of trips that need to be compensated. We believe that the successful implementation of the project will also encourage private carriers to introduce a similar system on their rolling stock,” said Yulia Gordina, head of the transport department of the Irkutsk city administration.
“This electronic system will allow us in the future to introduce personalized rechargeable cards with an indefinite validity period. They can be topped up both online from bank cards and using special smartphone applications. All this is technically possible, but everything takes time; people need to get used to it and switch to the new system,” said Evgeny Shumeyko, deputy head of the transport department of the city of Irkutsk.
No budget funds were spent to install the new system in the municipal transport of the city of Irkutsk. All the equipment was installed at the expense of the investor: Suls.ru LLC. It is this investor that is the operator of the smart card system — electronic travel tickets in the city’s municipal transport.
It should be noted that cash payment will still remain in effect in the public transport network, and baggage transport can still only be paid for in cash for now