Since 22 June 2025 the fine for riding without a ticket on Saint Petersburg's buses, trams and trolleybuses is 1,500 roubles — up from 500. Here is who can fine you, how to pay so there is nothing to argue about, and what to do if a fine has already been issued.
The amounts
- 1,500 roubles — travelling without paying on any regular route: city, suburban or intercity;
- 1,000 roubles — travelling without a document confirming a right to free or reduced fare, and unpaid children or luggage above the free allowance.
Fines are issued by inspectors of the city agency Organizator Perevozok (the passenger transport authority), who carry ID and wear uniform. Drivers and conductors cannot fine you; the most a driver can do is ask you to get off. Inspectors board in teams at stops and check the whole vehicle, most often on long routes through the centre and on suburban buses.
How to pay correctly
In Saint Petersburg you pay on boarding — at the validator by the door or with the driver — not when a conductor comes round. Tap a bank card or phone and wait for the green signal; that card is your ticket, and an inspector checks it on a handheld terminal. The city's Podorozhnik travel card, sold at metro ticket offices, is cheaper if you make more than two trips a day. A single ticket from the driver is the most expensive option, but it saves you when a validator is out of order.
Three traps that catch visitors: the validator did not register the card and you did not check the signal; you tapped one card twice for two people and the second tap did not go through; or you paid after the inspectors had already boarded — payment must be made before the check.
