Yekaterinburg Mulls Free Metro Rides for Children
The deputy mayor of Yekaterinburg says the city is exploring ways to make metro travel free for children, citing technical hurdles. Students currently pay 200 rubles (about $3) monthly, but even that fee could be waived.
Feb 23, 2026 0
Deputy mayor Rustam Galyamov announced the city«s plans for free metro travel for children during a live broadcast.
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The Yekaterinburg city hall is looking for a way to provide free metro travel for children. This was announced by deputy head Rustam Galyamov in a live broadcast on E1.RU. Currently, students can travel for 200 rubles (about $3) per month, but they might not have to pay even that amount.
“There are technical difficulties because of the turnstile system,” the official explained. “But we are not abandoning the idea of free travel for children. Perhaps we will be able to provide free travel in the metro as well.”
Rustam Galyamov also said that free travel on ground transport in the foreseeable future will be preserved for students, since this promotion is indefinite.
The deputy head also noted that the promotion for paying for travel via the Fast Payment System (SBP), which allowed Yekaterinburg residents to buy tickets at a discount, will not be extended. However, the city will retain a fare schedule with a very cheap monthly pass for 1500 rubles (about $20).
The popularity of monthly passes has grown significantly recently. If previously no more than 2,800 were sold per month, after the introduction of the new fare schedule this number has grown to 25,000.
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