Kazakhstan is set to change its bus transportation rules, with tickets, routes, licenses, and subsidies for carriers transitioning to digital systems, reports Todayinfo.
The main change is the introduction of a unified transport document management system. This system will register, account for, and store documents related to passenger transportation. It will also transmit data to government agencies and participants in the transportation process.
Fare payment rules are also changing. On international, intercity, interregional, and intra-district bus routes, passengers will be able to pay for tickets not only at bus station ticket offices and service points but also through digital payment systems and electronic ticket sales agencies.
Boarding will be conducted based on the ticket and identity documents. Both the original document and its electronic version will be accepted.
A separate block of changes concerns carriers. Through the "digital government" portal, they will be able to apply for subsidies for socially significant routes. This includes urban, rural, suburban, intra-district, and inter-district transportation. The service delivery period is five working days.
The electronic system will also be used to approve routes and schedules for regular urban, rural, suburban, and intra-district transportation. For this, the carrier must submit an application, a route scheme, and a schedule. The review period, as stated in the order, will be four working days.
Licenses for irregular intercity, interregional, intra-district, and international bus and minibus transportation will also be processed through the portal. Issuing a license will take five working days, re-issuing three working days, and obtaining a duplicate two working days.
These regulations will fully come into effect on July 12, 2026.
