> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://roadme.io/blog/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Tbilisi Public Transport: Metromoney, Fares and Payment
- URL: https://roadme.io/blog/tbilisi-public-transport-metromoney-fares-payment/
- Published: 2026-10-25T08:58:52.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T08:58:52.000Z
- Author: RoadMe
- Tags: Recommendations

For ordinary public transport in Tbilisi, start with a Metromoney card or a confirmed compatible contactless bank card. The standard municipal fare is GEL 1 for a 90-minute travel window covering the metro, municipal buses, municipal minibuses and the Bagebi–University cable car. Register each new boarding or metro entry; a free transfer does not mean skipping validation.

A Metromoney card costs GEL 2 before you add travel money. Unlimited subscriptions use a different product: GEL 3 for one day, GEL 20 for one week or GEL 40 for one month. Some cable cars and mountain attractions have separate arrangements. This guide explains payment and choosing a ticket, rather than providing a city sightseeing route. Information was checked on 25 October 2026.

## Choose a payment medium before your first journey

Metromoney is useful when you want a local stored-value card with a clear municipal fare. A compatible bank card can avoid an extra purchase, but acceptance and charges depend on its issuer and payment route. Do not assume every foreign card has identical conditions to a participating Georgian bank card.

Begin with the journeys your visit actually needs: travel from accommodation to a chosen area, any connection and the return. Several boardings can fall within one paid window, while a later outing can begin another. Counting vehicles rather than separately chargeable windows can exaggerate the value of an unlimited pass.

> For city trips in supported destinations, try [RoadMe](https://roadme.io/?ref=roadme.io): it builds a complete personalised day-by-day plan around your dates, interests and pace, making the visits easier to organise. Check the actual transport connections and payment rules separately with their operators.

| Choice                    | Published cost                          | What to check                                          |
| ------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| Metromoney                | GEL 2 for the card, plus stored value   | The card price is not travel credit                    |
| Standard municipal travel | GEL 1 for the 90-minute window          | Use the same eligible medium and validate each segment |
| One-day subscription      | GEL 3, plus any required card purchase  | Buy the subscription product and confirm validity      |
| One-week subscription     | GEL 20, plus any required card purchase | Compare actual paid travel windows                     |
| One-month subscription    | GEL 40, plus any required card purchase | Useful only if your stay and travel justify it         |

## How the 90-minute fare works

The first eligible payment begins the travel window. If you change to another included municipal service within it, validate again with the same medium. Do not expect a new free 90 minutes to start at every transfer. A later independent journey outside the window requires another payment.

As a planning example, a metro ride followed shortly by a municipal bus can be one GEL 1 window. Travelling out in the morning and returning after a long museum visit will normally mean separate windows. These examples illustrate the fare logic; they are not a promise about a particular connection or journey time.

The operator lists metro, bus, minibus and the Bagebi–University ropeway together. This means the participating municipal network, not every vehicle described as a minibus in Georgia. Do not carry the city fare assumption into an intercity departure simply because the vehicle looks similar.

The TTC tariff specifically excludes cash bus payments, where cash equipment exists, and payment through a mobile application from the 90-minute package. A bank card in an NFC phone wallet is a different payment mechanism from buying a ticket in an operator app. Check the conditions of the exact method rather than treating all phone payments as identical.

For more on the distinction between purchase and validation, see our guide to [public transport tickets and validation abroad](https://roadme.io/blog/public-transport-abroad-tickets-zones-validation/). The practical requirement here is to have the correct medium available at each required check.

## Buying, loading and looking after Metromoney

The operator lists metro station ticket offices and Bank of Georgia express branches for purchasing Metromoney and subscription cards. The published card cost is GEL 2\. Metromoney is not personalised, and its product page says an identity document is not required to obtain it.

Keep the purchase receipt. TTC identifies it as important for card recovery in cases of loss or damage, and for returning the card under its published conditions. Photographing a receipt can be useful for your records, but do not assume a photograph replaces the original where the service requires it.

The card can be loaded at metro offices, the Rike–Narikala cable car offices and designated Bank of Georgia payment machines or service centres. Confirm the accepted payment method and any machine instructions before inserting money. Acceptance of a bank card for an unrelated purchase does not establish that it can fund a transport-card top-up.

Ask for the travel amount to be loaded separately from the cost of the card. Check the resulting balance at the ticket office or appropriate reader. The GEL 2 card purchase itself should not be counted as two available fare windows.

For companions, individual travel media make validation and tracking easier. The ordinary card is not personalised, but that does not establish that every group-payment pattern preserves each person's transfer conditions. If you want one card to pay for several people, confirm that scenario before relying on the calculation.

![Traveller taking a water bottle from a backpack on a bench](https://roadme.io/blog/content/images/2026/10/roadme-image-6640.webp)

## Foreign bank cards can involve another charge

The published payment-system rules from Bank of Georgia distinguish participating card issuers from payments processed under international payment-system arrangements. For the latter route, the rules specify an additional GEL 0.50 transaction charge. That is a payment-system charge, not a new municipal fare for every traveller.

Consequently, do not read the GEL 1 headline as a guaranteed final debit for any foreign card. For an ordinary GEL 1 fare processed with the additional GEL 0.50 charge, the combined amount is GEL 1.50 before any charges or conversion imposed by your own bank. This is a conditional calculation, not a promise that every card is accepted or charged the same way.

A phone wallet does not automatically remove the charge: eligibility depends on the card and how the transaction is processed. Nor should a successful grocery payment be treated as proof of transport-reader compatibility. Have Metromoney or another confirmed payment option available.

Use one consistent medium for your own travel. Do not alternate between a bank card and a phone token assuming the system must treat them as the same travel record. Before making an extensive series of journeys, check the first completed transaction and ask the operator about transfer treatment for that particular card.

If payment is declined, check its status before repeated attempts. A pending transaction is not automatically a completed fare payment, and several attempts can make your own bank record harder to interpret. Ask staff or the operator for help with the time, service and medium used; do not share a PIN or verification code.

Our guide to [cash and card preparation abroad](https://roadme.io/blog/cash-or-card-abroad-what-to-check-before-you-travel/) explains the wider bank and currency checks. A local transport card can simplify travel without replacing the rest of your payment preparation.

## When a subscription is worth comparing

The published subscription prices are GEL 3 for one day, GEL 20 for one week and GEL 40 for one month. TTC lists longer products as well, but a short visitor should first examine the duration that matches the actual stay. These are subscription products, rather than money automatically converted into a pass on Metromoney.

The tariff describes purchase through a subscription card, with a GEL 2 card cost. Ask for confirmation of the validity start and end when buying. Do not silently replace “one day” with an assumed rolling 24-hour product, or expect a pass bought late in the day to cover the same period as another city's ticket.

Compare fare windows, not boardings. Ignoring card-purchase costs for the moment, three separately chargeable GEL 1 windows equal the GEL 3 day subscription; four cost GEL 4\. Two boardings inside one qualifying window are still one standard fare, so four vehicles do not automatically make the subscription cheaper.

For a weekly comparison, five days with two separate windows each would total GEL 10, below the GEL 20 week product. Six days with four separately chargeable windows each would total GEL 24\. These are illustrative arithmetic examples, not typical travel statistics or a recommendation to make extra trips.

Include the required new card cost in the real comparison. An existing Metromoney card is already owned; purchasing a separate subscription medium can add an expense that a fare-only table omits. Confirm whether a compatible local bank product offers another supported way to hold a subscription instead of assuming any foreign card can do so.

## Metro and buses: validate the journey you actually take

For the metro, validate at the entry reader and follow the confirmation. For buses and municipal minibuses, register on boarding as required. Do the check again on a transfer or when using a valid subscription; possessing a pass or remaining free time does not remove the need to register the ride.

Keep the actual card or device ready during travel, including for inspection. A screenshot of a bank transaction or a card purchase receipt is not the same thing as the medium used on the validator. If a reader rejects it, resolve the issue rather than treating a technical problem as permission to travel.

The metro normally operates from about 06:00 to midnight, subject to announcements and temporary changes. Midnight is not a promise that a train for every destination will leave every platform then. Check the return journey earlier, especially if it involves another service afterwards.

Bus and minibus schedules depend on the route. Use TTC's journey planner, timetable and real-time information for the actual stop and direction. A saved screenshot can help identify a stop, but it does not show today's diversion, vehicle delay or last departure.

Tbilisi's metro opened on 11 January 1966, initially between Didube and Rustaveli. That history adds context to the deep stations and the role of rail in the city. It does not mean every entrance, escalator and service is unchanged; check current access if stairs or long underground connections matter to your group.

## Cable cars and the funicular need separate attention

The Bagebi–University cable car is named in the integrated municipal fare. Rike–Narikala has a separate published one-way fare of GEL 2.50\. Having a Metromoney card that can pay both is not the same as having one ticket that covers both without an additional deduction.

The Turtle Lake cable car is listed at GEL 1 one way, with GEL 1 for bicycle carriage. A matching price does not establish identical transfer rights to the Bagebi line. Keep the particular line's tariff separate when comparing a day subscription with stored-value travel.

The Mtatsminda funicular and other attraction-operated mountain transport should be checked with their own operator. Do not assume a municipal pass covers every ride up a hill. Establish the transport mode, departure station, accepted product and return arrangement before paying.

![Traveller pausing on a staircase after walking uphill](https://roadme.io/blog/content/images/2026/10/roadme-image-6641.webp)

## Arrival, families and late journeys

The airport lists municipal bus 337 with a stop in front of the arrivals hall and the standard municipal fare structure. Check its current timetable and route before using it. Published stop lists and running times can change, so do not choose a late arrival connection solely from an older travel account.

The airport's sales information points to metro ticket offices and Bank of Georgia express branches for cards; it does not promise that you can buy any transport card beside the bus at any hour. Resolve the first payment before boarding, or arrange another suitable arrival option.

For children, students and older companions, check eligibility for the actual concession rather than assuming age or a foreign student card is sufficient. TTC lists free and reduced categories with conditions. A visitor should not choose a reduced product without the required status.

For an evening out, check how you will return before leaving the accommodation. A working metro earlier in the day does not establish an overnight service. Keep the correct address available and plan payment for a taxi or another option if the necessary public connection is no longer operating.

> For visits in supported cities, [RoadMe](https://roadme.io/?ref=roadme.io) can turn your interests and preferred pace into a personal trip programme, making it more convenient to organise complete days rather than collect disconnected stops. Use that plan alongside current operator information for transport and the journey home.

## Returning a card and preparing for the next day

TTC's Metromoney page allows return of the card within one month, with the original purchase receipt, for repayment of the GEL 2 card cost. That statement should not be expanded into an unconditional promise to refund all unused stored money in cash. Ask about your remaining balance and the relevant process before making a large final top-up.

For a lost or damaged card, keep the purchase evidence and contact the operator's designated card service. Replacement depends on the circumstances; physical damage caused by misuse can have a different cost. Do not assume that a screenshot of the card or a bank statement identifies every anonymous card account.

![Traveller setting down a backpack and resting in an armchair](https://roadme.io/blog/content/images/2026/10/roadme-image-6642.webp)

Before the next outing, check balance or subscription validity, the return service and the medium each person will use. Keep Metromoney, bank payment and unlimited subscriptions distinct in your calculations. That makes the low municipal fare useful without unexpected assumptions about card charges, transfers or separately priced attractions.