Moscow-Tashkent bus passengers warned about ticket scams

Passengers travelling by bus from Moscow to Tashkent have been warned about scammers impersonating Uzautotrans Service. Advertisements use the operator’s bus images before directing customers to unofficial, overpriced tickets.

RIA Novosti reported the warning from Uzbekistan’s transport ministry. UzDaily and Podrobno.uz also described the scheme: passengers who pay are placed on illegal buses despite advertisements displaying the official operator’s vehicles.

The warning lists official departures on Mondays and Thursdays from Moscow’s Novoyasenevskaya and Kotelniki bus stations to the Tashkent bus terminal. Regular services cost 8,500 roubles, while tickets for additional services cost 7,000 roubles, according to the published information.

Passengers can purchase tickets at the designated stations or through their official websites and applications. The ministry urged travellers to verify service information and avoid sending money to unknown intermediaries. A photograph or video of a bus in a social media advertisement does not establish that the operator placed the offer.