Ticket prices for transport by year: how much buses, trams, trolleybuses and the metro cost
On average across Russia in 2025 one ride on a city bus cost 42.21 rubles, on a trolleybus 39.18, on a tram 50.23, on the metro 66.55. If you commute to work and back 22 days a month, that is 44 rides: on a bus it will be about 1,857 rubles, on the metro about 2,928. Below these prices are broken down by year from 2000, alongside the number of people who ride, and a comparison with what has become more expensive than the fare. Under each section is a chart that can be opened on the website to view your own series.
How much a ride costs in 2025
Rosstat records the average price of one ride across Russia each year. This is not the tariff of a specific city, but the average across all cities where that type of transport exists. Therefore, the ticket in your city may be cheaper or noticeably more expensive.
| Type of transport | 2020 | 2024 | 2025 | Growth in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus | 27.78 ₽ | 37.71 ₽ | 42.21 ₽ | +11.9% |
| Trolleybus | 31.04 ₽ | 34.83 ₽ | 39.18 ₽ | +12.5% |
| Tram | 33.13 ₽ | 44.95 ₽ | 50.23 ₽ | +11.7% |
| Metro | 40.54 ₽ | 55.50 ₽ | 66.55 ₽ | +19.9% |
The cheapest ride in 2025 is the trolleybus, the most expensive is the metro. The difference between the metro and the bus was 24.34 rubles per ride. The metro also became the most expensive over the year: almost a fifth, while the other types added about 12% or a little less. The table with prices for all types of transport can be opened here.
Prices for rides by year since 2000
The Rosstat table row starts from 1991, but until 1998 the prices are given in old rubles, before the denomination, and cannot be compared with today’s. A fair starting point is the year 2000, and here is how the prices have grown from it:
| Year | Bus | Tram | Trolleybus | Metro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.62 ₽ | 2.70 ₽ | 2.58 ₽ | 4.31 ₽ |
| 2010 | 12.90 ₽ | 13.01 ₽ | 12.36 ₽ | 20.50 ₽ |
| 2020 | 27.78 ₽ | 33.13 ₽ | 31.04 ₽ | 40.54 ₽ |
| 2025 | 42.21 ₽ | 50.23 ₽ | 39.18 ₽ | 66.55 ₽ |
In 25 years the bus price increased 16.1 times, the tram 18.6 times, the trolleybus 15.2 times, the metro 15.4 times. Since 2010 the growth has been calmer: 3.2–3.9 times. From 2020 the bus added 51.9%, the tram 51.6%, the metro 64.2%, and the trolleybus only 26.2%.
The trolleybus stands apart. In 2022 its ride cost on average 30.58 rubles, a year earlier 32.74: the price across Russia fell for the year. The bus and tram rose in the same year, by 7.1% and 13.6%. The trolleybus exists only in part of the cities, so its average is sensitive to the decisions of a few cities.
Monthly fare: what it means for the wallet
The price of a single ride says little on its own; the monthly total matters more. Take a person who commutes to work and back five days a week: roughly 22 working days, 44 rides per month, without transfers.
| Transport | 2020 | 2025 | Monthly increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus | 1,222 ₽ | 1,857 ₽ | +635 ₽ |
| Metro | 1,784 ₽ | 2,928 ₽ | +1,144 ₽ |
For the metro the road became more expensive by 1,144 rubles per month over five years, for the bus by 635. The difference between them in 2025 is 1,071 rubles per month, i.e., it adds up to 12,852 rubles per year. For a family where two people travel every day, the sums double. These are country‑wide averages; in your city there may be passes, single‑ticket transfers and discounts that are not reflected in the average price statistics.
How many people travel
Travel becomes more expensive, and the number of passengers is decreasing. Rosstat counts passenger transport in millions of people per year. The city bus in 2000 carried 18,345 million people, in 2024 it carried 5,735.4 million. That is 31.3% of the 2000 level. The tram retained 13.9% of passengers, the trolleybus 10.2%. The metro carried the least: 3,147.7 million in 2024 against 4,186 million in 2000, i.e. 75.2%.
The metro holds passengers better than any other mode, while the tram and trolleybus lost almost nine out of ten trips.
The last three years the series is rising: the bus carried 4,989 million people in 2022, 5,493 million in 2023 and 5,735.4 million in 2024, 4.4% more than the previous year. The metro grew over the same two years from 2,897.9 to 3,147.7 million. The decline has stopped, but the 2000 level is still far away. Transport data are opened on the dataset page.
What is getting more expensive faster than travel
To understand whether travel is costly, compare it with other prices from the same Rosstat table. For 2020–2025:
- metro travel: +64.2%;
- bus travel: +51.9%;
- men's haircut: +57.8%;
- bread and bakery products made from wheat flour: +39.4%;
- specialist doctor visit: +88.9%;
- dry cleaning of a men's suit: +94.2%.
Travel’s growth rate turns out to be in the middle. It gets more expensive faster than bread, but noticeably slower than doctor services and dry cleaning. In this list the metro is ahead of the haircut, the bus is slightly behind it.
The overall price picture can be seen on the consumer price index page, and your own amount can be recalculated in the inflation calculator: enter how much you spent on travel in 2020, and see how much that is with overall price growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a ride on a city bus cost in 2025? On average across Russia 42.21 rubles per ride. A year earlier it was 37.71, i.e. 11.9% less.
How much does a ride on the metro cost? 66.55 rubles per ride in 2025, 19.9% more than in 2024 (55.50). Over five years the metro price increased by 64.2%.
Which transport is the cheapest? Trolleybus: 39.18 rubles per ride in 2025. Followed by bus (42.21), then tram (50.23) and metro (66.55).
How many times has the fare increased since 2000? Bus 16.1 times, tram 18.6, trolleybus 15.2, metro 15.4.
How many people travel by city transport? In 2024 the bus was used 5,735.4 million times, metro 3,147.7 million, tram 1,032 million, trolleybus 896.4 million. These are Rosstat data on passenger transport for the year.
Why does the fare differ in my city? The table shows national averages. Cities set their own tariffs, and some have unified tickets, passes and discounts that change the final amount.
Summary
In 2025 the average ride across Russia cost 42.21 rubles on a bus, 39.18 on a trolleybus, 50.23 on a tram and 66.55 on the metro. Since 2000 prices have risen 15–19 times; over the last year the metro added 19.9%, other modes about 12%. For a person with 44 rides per month this is 1,857 rubles on a bus and 2,928 on the metro, 635 and 1,144 rubles more than in 2020. Passengers have become fewer: city bus rides in 2024 were three times less frequent than in 2000, but since 2022 the trend is rising again. Fares are rising faster than bread and slower than medical services. Source of all data: Rosstat.