Can I use cards on buses and public transport in Belarus?

Honestly, I liked the Belarus metro system once I got the hang of it. At stations like Uruchcha or Maladzioznaya, the token machines are straightforward and the staff were surprisingly patient with tourists. The buses that run out toward Minsk Arena or the Botanical Garden are a bit trickier, but if you buy a carnet of tickets at the kiosks on Independence Avenue, you save time. Conductors will come through to check and punch your ticket. It’s not really about cards here, it’s still a very cash-based system. My advice: buy several tickets at once so you’re never stuck.

When I was in Minsk last winter, I stayed near Gorky Park and used the metro daily. It’s cheap and reliable, but you can’t just pay by card at the turnstiles like in Berlin. You need those green tokens, which you buy either at the little counters or vending machines. On buses to places like Komarovsky Market, I noticed locals all had tickets ready, while tourists like me scrambled for coins. It’s not complicated, just old-fashioned. If you’ve got cash in small ruble notes, you’re fine. Don’t expect drivers or conductors to take foreign cards, they’ll just shake their heads.

I stayed at a hostel near Nemiga and thought I could just tap my Visa card on the metro gates like in London. Nope, didn’t work. The lady at the counter waved me off and sold me plastic tokens instead, which felt very 90s but worked fine. On buses to Victory Park, I kept forgetting to buy tickets in advance and had to hand over cash to the driver, which slowed everything down. Honestly, cards hardly worked anywhere on public transport. Bring small notes or coins, otherwise you’ll waste time hunting for a kiosk when the bus is already coming.

In Minsk the metro is still old-school in some ways. You buy small green tokens at the cashier booths inside stations like Kastrychnitskaya or Ploshcha Lenina. Each ride costs the same, so it’s simple. Buses and trolleybuses usually need paper tickets, which you buy from kiosks on Nezavisimosti Avenue or even from the driver, and you validate them in those orange punch machines. Cards are slowly becoming more common, but visitors shouldn’t count on it. Cash in Belarusian rubles is safest. If you’re staying near Revolution Square or the train station, keep coins ready because conductors often insist on exact change.