(11 February 2026 | Source: BES.media)
In the capital, hundreds of thousands of attempts to travel on public transport without paying have been recorded. Some of the offenders have already been held administratively liable, and the total amount of fines has exceeded 147 million tenge. For transport operators, this is not only a matter of passenger discipline but also of the sustainability of the entire route network.
HOW MANY INFRINGEMENTS WERE DETECTED
The issue of fare evaders was raised by readers of BES.media as part of the 'Questions for Officials' section.
According to the city administration, between January and November 2025, inspectors recorded around 233,000 instances of unpaid travel.
Of these, 18,703 passengers were issued with administrative reports. The total amount of fines imposed was 147,080,392 tenge.
Residents noted that due to non-payment of fares, suburban routes connecting the villages of Zhibek Zholy, Koyandy and the city of Kosshy with Astana are being cut.
HOW FARE PAYMENT IS CHECKED
The city administration reported that regular monitoring is carried out on suburban routes.
Staff from the Department of Transport Control and the Control and Inspection Service check for QR receipts and transport card validation.
Some inspections are conducted jointly with the police. For example, from 1 to 3 November 2025, 279 passengers were fined a total of 2,194,056 tenge.
LEGAL AMOUNT OF FINES
According to Part 2 of Article 622 of the Code of Administrative Offences:
- evading payment of the fare — 2 MRP (8,650 tenge);
- violating the rules for using urban and suburban buses — 1 MRP (4,325 tenge).