Astana, 16 October. The Astana akimat has approved differentiated fares for city and suburban public transport. A trip on an ordinary city bus will cost 150 tenge when paid cashless (now 110) and 300 tenge when paid in cash.
On express routes the fare will be 300 tenge cashless and 400 tenge in cash. On suburban routes the fare is calculated per kilometre: 13 tenge per kilometre cashless and 19 tenge in cash. On socially significant routes the fares are 150 and 300 tenge; travel on them with a concessionary transport card remains free. If the electronic payment system fails, passengers will be able to ride for free. Free travel for schoolchildren under 18 studying in Astana is retained.
The akimat resolution, published on 14 October, takes effect ten calendar days after its first official publication; the previous resolution of 16 July 2024 ceases to be valid. Earlier the akimat had proposed raising the cashless fare from 1 December, explaining that the estimated cost of a trip in 2026 is significantly higher than the current fare, that carriers' costs are rising and that the bus fleet needs renewing. Cash payment on Astana buses was abolished in 2020 and is now being brought back.
Separately: the Ecology Minister's order No. 252 of 6 October 2026 on discount certificates for vehicles handed in for recycling comes into force on 25 October, but, as the ministry explained, this does not mean the programme has started: vehicles are not yet being accepted and certificates are not yet being issued. One certificate is issued per vehicle handed in, no more than two can be used towards one car, and a certificate is valid for one year.
As for the electronic entry permits (ETA) for citizens of visa-free countries, the amendments have been in force since 25 August and the deadlines are known: from 1 November the permit is required for passengers on international flights, from 15 November for those entering by car across borders with countries outside the EAEU, from 30 November at road checkpoints on borders with EAEU countries, and from 15 December for train passengers and those arriving through seaports.
