Moscow Advances Transport Technology Development
According to city officials, Moscow’s transport system is now comparable to those of the largest Asian megacities and, on several indicators, exceeds them. City officials say Moscow is ready to share its experience.
After a visit to Shanghai, Moscow Deputy Mayor and head of the city’s Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development Maksim Liksutov said the Russian capital performs ahead of some Asian megacities on several indicators. These include higher rail network density per million residents and a more extensive tram network compared with Shanghai.
This positions Moscow as a potential exporter of urban and transport IT solutions, particularly for Asian megacities. The city increasingly uses transport as a showcase for domestic IT sovereignty. It is developing digital services, AI-driven tools, and software for autonomous transport. At the same time, competition is intensifying across payment, transfer, and navigation services, shaping a seamless and cashless travel model for users.
From the Capital to the Country and Beyond
Moscow’s solutions also have export potential, although not as a full system rollout. Instead, the focus is on modular solutions, including ticketing and payment platforms, digital passenger services, AI components for safety and routing, autonomous technologies, and integration models across different modes of transport.
Within Russia, the domestic market is larger. Moscow is serving as a reference model, while regional cities become the primary market for scaling transport IT solutions. The Troika-based ticketing system already operates in dozens of regions across the country.
At the same time, exporting urban IT solutions comes with constraints. Major cities rarely adopt an external system in full, and success in international markets depends on compatibility with local regulation, payment infrastructure, and data requirements. Over the next one to three years, expansion will likely focus first on Russian regions, followed by selective entry into friendly markets through pilot projects and targeted exports of individual digital services.
The Path to Digital Transport
Moscow’s evolution toward a digital transport platform has progressed step by step. In 2021, the SberTroika project and the Moscow Transport mobile app won Transport Ticketing Awards, gaining international recognition. From 2023, the city began expanding its ticketing system, which by early 2026 was operating in 34 regions.
In 2024, Moscow completed the first phase of testing for Russia’s first autonomous tram. In the fall of 2025, testing began for an autonomous metro train. At the same time, biometric payment expanded, and by 2026 around ten AI-based solutions were in use across the city’s transport system.
Globally, megacities are shifting competition from network size to the quality of digital integration across transport systems, including payment, navigation, and environmental performance. Moscow is directly benchmarking itself against Beijing and Shanghai, highlighting the high share of trips made by residents and visitors using public transport.
The Future of Moscow UrbanTech
Transport digitalization is no longer limited to internal reform. The city is preparing to export its solutions. The primary markets are Russian regions and partner countries in Asia, the CIS, and the Middle East.
As Moscow demonstrates more results in autonomous transport, AI, and integrated ticketing systems, its position as an exporter of UrbanTech solutions will strengthen. Domestically, the city will continue promoting a standard for a digital transport ecosystem. Internationally, it is likely to focus on targeted deployments and partnerships. This creates a new export model – a full-stack urban technology ecosystem.
