Moscow Metro app enables passengers to ‘personalise’ their Troika card

Moscow public transport passengers can now personalise their Troika cards after creating an account on the updated Moscow Metro App. The app binds the card to the passenger’s online account, meaning Muscovites no longer have to worry about losing their card.

Despite the system only being live for a couple of days, Moscow Metro has reported that more than 30,000 users have bound their “Troika” cards to the personal accounts.

Moscow Metro says the updated app will help passengers to set an auto payment, buy any type of ticket remotely, review the history of their trips and top-ups, monitor the status of inquiries, check any bonus credits under the city’s loyalty programme and stay up to date with special offers.

The “Troika” card is a contactless reusable smart card designed to pay for public transport in Moscow. It was part of the ticketing system introduced in Moscow in April 2013.  

The Troika card is available at ticket offices and through ticket machines for a deposit of 50 roubles and can be used to pay for trips on Aeroexpress trains to Moscow airports. It is also valid at many Moscow cultural centres: art galleries, museums, planetarium, skating-rinks and others as well as for rent bikes, scooters.

To date, Moscow Metro says more than 32 million passengers had purchased the Troika card and more than 4 billion transactions are being made annually.

Meanwhile, the Passenger Mobility Center of Moscow Metro has extended its operational hours, in a move to offer flexibility to passengers that require special assistance. The centre will now be accessible from 5:30am until 1am the following morning.

The centre, which employs 300 staff to escort passengers around the metro system as well as to long-distance trains and even some museums, was previously only operational between 7am and 8pm, meaning those who needed assistance would have to leave for work later or cut short their night out.

Passengers that require assistance are able to request a chaperone through the Moscow Metro app or by calling the centre directly. There is also an SMS hotline run by the centre, which is staffed by employees ready to answer questions about the metro and its accessibility.