The occupiers gave Crimeans a new “gift” for Easter. Public transportation fares have gone up by 15 percent. In large cities, a single trip now costs 40 rubles (equivalent to 25 hryvnias), and in smaller towns, 37 rubles. At the same time, prices for intercity travel have also risen — tickets for the electric train have gone up by 10 percent. The authorities have not even explained the reason for this latest fare hike. And the carriers operating bus routes make no secret of the fact that one of the reasons for the price hike is the requirement for companies that previously operated under a simplified tax system to pay 22% VAT. Earlier, fuel and spare parts had become significantly more expensive due to increased tax pressure. 

“We are managing to fulfill the declared volume of transportation with great difficulty, and most importantly — to adhere to the bus schedule,” said Zinoviy Ludchak, vice president of the Crimean Transporters Association, in an announcement regarding the price hike made in the Crimean media in early April.

In private conversations, transport operators admit: things are even worse. According to an accountant at one of the companies, the situation has been complicated not only by the introduction of VAT. Due to the war, carriers are being forced to comply with a whole series of transport security procedures. For passengers, nothing changes, but for companies, it is very costly. In addition, since the start of the year, the company she works for has not received compensation from the city administration for transporting eligible groups — pensioners and children from large families.

“Suing them isn’t an option. We’re waiting for them to pay. We already have two buses out of service because we don’t have money for repairs. We’re barely scraping by to cover routine maintenance,” says the accountant. 

Local residents aren’t particularly convinced by the transport operators’ arguments. People are furious about the constant and unchecked rise in prices for everything. Comments on social media are rife with profanity. And in private conversations, Crimeans link the rising prices to signs of a crisis in the Russian economy caused by the war and are by no means eager to pay for it out of their own pockets. 

“I’m not an economist, of course, but there’s a clear logical connection here: war — higher taxes for businesses — higher prices for everything. In other words, in the end, we’re the ones paying for the war, even though I personally don’t need it, I didn’t ask for it, and I don’t want to pay for it,” shares a professor at one of Simferopol’s universities, speaking on condition of anonymity.

And some passengers are wondering why fuel prices are skyrocketing in a country that is one of the largest oil producers. “Why are they always pointing the finger at Iran? Doesn’t Russia have its own oil? And most importantly, they’re presenting it as if they’re raising prices so that minibuses can run on schedule. How many times have they promised this? But fares keep going up, and waiting for a minibus is a real hassle, especially in the evening,” complains a resident of Bakhchysarai.

Complaints about disruptions in public transportation are common in virtually every city on the peninsula. And everywhere, residents note that wages lag behind decisions to raise prices. 

“It’s great that they raised fares. At the beginning of the year, my salary went up by a thousand rubles. I didn’t know what to do with all that money. Now half of that raise will go to transportation. And it’s not the only thing getting more expensive. They’re already getting on our nerves, along with their whole Crimean Spring,” says a kindergarten worker in Simferopol indignantly.

No official explanations regarding the fare increase have been provided to the public by representatives of the occupying authorities. The mission to “reassure the population” was entrusted to propagandists. At first, they lied that public transportation in Crimea is still cheaper than anywhere in Russia. But Crimeans quickly figured out that, for example, in Makhachkala, public transportation costs half as much with the same salary levels. And in Novosibirsk, fares are the same as in Crimea, while the average salary is one and a half times higher. Then the propagandists began peddling another lie: that the last public transportation fare hike occurred in 2023. But people clearly remember how fares on commuter trains rose in 2024 and on city buses in 2025. 

Overall, over the four years of the full-scale invasion, travel on Crimean public transport has nearly doubled in price.