Passenger outraged over separate tram fare despite city pass
A Yekaterinburg resident was outraged that the four-mode transport Ekarta pass cannot be used to pay for the tram to Verkhnyaya Pyshma. He considered this rule unfair. Is there any chance that something will change?
E1.RU reader Anton used to walk every day from the residential complex behind the Veer Mall to the nearest metro station to get to work. When he grew tired of this, he decided to buy an unlimited monthly pass for four types of transport for 1,500 rubles (about $16 at current rates) to take the tram to the metro.
But his plan fell through. The fact is that only one tram runs on this route — No. 333, which connects Yekaterinburg with Verkhnyaya Pyshma, and the Ekarta can only be used there as an e-wallet; the unlimited pass cannot be used. According to Anton, he was assured otherwise.
«I called the Ekarta support line, and its apparently incompetent employee insisted that everything should work, citing a list of routes and claiming that all routes listed on the website should definitely be available for travel with the pass. But the terminal in the carriage refuses to accept the card with the message »Invalid card series.« I was misled. Why should I pay for both the pass and the tram?» Anton wondered.
Natalya Tararychkina, general director of I-SET, the company servicing the Ekarta, told E1.RU that route 333 is not considered a city route; it is inter-municipal.
«The question of applying city tariffs on this route is better addressed to the competent authorities responsible for transport. This should be a joint decision of the city and the regional ministry of transport, under whose jurisdiction this tram is. This is not a technical issue,» commented Natalya Tararychkina.
The press service of the Yekaterinburg mayor«s office added that there are no plans to allow the use of the pass on the inter-municipal route. In other words, passengers with a pass will continue to have to pay separately for trips on the »Lvyata« tram between Yekaterinburg and Verkhnyaya Pyshma.
Recall that on November 1, Yekaterinburg increased the cost of a single ride and introduced cheap monthly passes — only 1,500 rubles (about $16 at current rates) for all four types of transport. We detailed all tariff plans in this article.
Earlier we published a map of places where you can buy a pass.
Also note that since the beginning of autumn, travel for schoolchildren in Yekaterinburg has become free. We explained in detail who can use the benefit. As for the metro, travel for children remains paid, but a very favorable tariff was introduced — only 200 rubles (about $2 at current rates) per month.
