As part of Ulaanbaatar City’s ongoing public transportation reform, city authorities are moving to merge the two existing fare payment systems—Umoney and UBcard—into a single platform supported by a centralized database. Officials say this initiative is intended to simplify the way passengers pay for travel, improve efficiency in fare collection, and strengthen data management for policy and service planning.
Currently, Ulaanbaatar’s buses remain the primary mode of daily travel for residents. According to the department for public transportation policy, more than 753,000 passengers use the bus system on a day. Of these, approximately 470,000 passengers use Umoney cards, while around 88,000 continue to rely on UBcard. In addition, about 31,000 passengers still pay their fares in cash, demonstrating that a significant portion of commuters have not yet fully transitioned to digital payment methods.
The capital city also provides concessionary services through transport cards for vulnerable groups, including over 160,000 senior citizens, blood donors, and people with disabilities. These groups make daily use of the card-based system, highlighting the importance of creating a unified and reliable platform that can serve all passenger categories without disruption.
Officials have emphasized that consolidating Umoney and UBcard will bring practical benefits. Having a single, integrated system will reduce duplication and administrative complexity, while also improving the accuracy of passenger data. A unified database will allow city planners to analyze travel patterns more effectively, which could lead to better scheduling, route optimization, and overall service improvements.
The planned integration also reflects broader goals to modernize the city’s transport network. While cash remains an option for some passengers, authorities see the future of fare collection in digital solutions. Once Umoney and UBcard are merged, the new system is expected to provide the foundation for introducing additional smart technologies, including mobile applications, digital wallets, and possibly contactless payments via smartphones. Such innovations would give passengers more convenient options while ensuring smoother operations for transportation providers.
Although the transition will take time and require adjustments from both passengers and operators, officials believe the reform will ultimately contribute to a more transparent, reliable, and accessible public transport system. For a city as densely populated and rapidly growing as Ulaanbaatar, ensuring efficiency in bus fare collection and management is a crucial step toward meeting the mobility needs of its residents.
