Published on: 2026-10-09
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The modernization of urban ground transport routes began in Moscow 10 years ago. During this time, several stages have been implemented, and buses and electric buses have become an important part of the city’s passenger system.
“On the instructions of Sergey Sobyanin, we are constantly developing the network of ground transport routes. Over 10 years, we have improved it according to passenger demand: reduced route duplication, redistributed rolling stock to in-demand directions, and made transport more frequent and convenient. We will continue this work. Today, the capital has over 900 routes — they cover the entire city of Moscow, including Zelenograd, and stretch practically to the Kaluga region. Here operate buses and electric buses of Mosgortrans, as well as buses from commercial carriers. Modern and comfortable transport is suitable for all categories of passengers,” said the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport and Industry.
Always on the move
Moscow is a dynamically developing metropolis that continues to grow and change. Therefore, the capital’s specialists Department of Transportation and subordinate organizations continue to work on infrastructure modernization. They see new residential complexes appearing in various districts of the capital and adjust routes to connect them with existing metro stations and Moscow Central Diameters (MCD), schools, hospitals, cultural centers, and other important venues. This allows residents to reach workplaces, educational institutions, meetings with friends, and leisure activities faster.
The route network is updated taking into account the real needs of city residents. At the same time, efforts are made to avoid excessive duplication of movement schemes, which means that transport runs more frequently and regularly.
The priority of the city is the comfort and safety of all Muscovites and guests of the capital. Therefore, it is important to ensure that as many residents as possible have access to quality transport close to home. This not only improves the lives of city dwellers but also helps reduce road congestion.
Color and letter in the route number
The modernization is based on the desire to reduce route duplication, deploy more buses on in-demand routes, and shorten waiting times at stops for passengers. Today, the city surface transport is divided into several categories depending on the nature of their operation.
Trunk routes are designated by the letter M, and different directions are indicated by a specific color. They connect various districts of the city to the center, metro stations, Moscow Central Circle and the Moscow Central Diameters run along the main streets and provide regular traffic flow with short intervals.
Express routes are designated by the letter E, as well as each by its own color depending on the direction. They also belong to the main routes. Such buses provide fast transport connections between districts and key points of attraction.
District routes are highlighted in blue. They help with travel within districts and connect residential neighborhoods to major transport hubs.
Social routes are marked in pink, sometimes they have the letter S at the beginning of the number. They go to important social facilities and operate on a separate schedule.
By number and color, passengers can determine the route category and approximate frequency. For example, main routes with numbers up to 100, including M1, M64, E29, operate with intervals of up to 10 minutes from 07:00 to 21:00.
A large-scale and efficient network
Work on upgrading the surface transport routes began on October 8, 2016. The key task was to make surface transport in central Moscow more convenient and efficient, ensure comfortable trips between city districts, and improve transport accessibility to the most in-demand directions. Much was accomplished in 2017–2021. And today the city continues to improve the route network taking into account passenger demand, changes in urban infrastructure, and residents’ needs.
In November 2021, a large-scale update of the route network took place in the Central and Southern administrative districts: about 200 routes were changed, new stops appeared, and navigation improved. The adjustments increased the convenience of trips and the efficiency of ground transport operations. The results of the changes confirmed the demand for the updated route network. Passenger flow on the modified routes in these two districts grew by almost 25 percent over five years. At the same time, the number of passengers per kilometer increased by almost 27 percent, while in the rest of the city this figure rose by almost 13 percent. Thus, the efficiency of the routes in these districts after their modification increased by nearly 14 percent.
The area of transport service is being steadily expanded, primarily in the Troitsky and Novomoskovsky administrative districts.
Since 2021, a total of 32 main routes have been organized in the capital. In 2025, 10 new main routes were opened, and in 2026, another two appeared. Today, there are 77 main routes operating in Moscow, and by the end of the year, four more are planned to be introduced in different parts of the city.
These results were achieved within the existing urban development without increasing the number of buses, electric buses, and trams. More and more passengers are using surface public transport. With the start of this school year and the end of the summer cottage season this year, the number of trips reached 4.9 million per day. This indicates that the updated route network has become more convenient for Muscovites and better meets their needs.
Main and express routes today connect all districts of Moscow, providing convenient trips and the possibility to reach rail framework stations, residential areas, and other in-demand locations.
Unified passenger transportation quality standard
Trunk and express routes are served by both the Moscow State Unitary Enterprise “Mosgortrans” and commercial carriers. Since 2015, Moscow has been developing a model of government contracts. Within this system, private companies operate according to unified city requirements for passenger service quality. Muscovites can use the usual city fare payment system and benefits, and the operation of transport is controlled within the framework of the general surface transport management system.
An important part of upgrading ground transportation is the use of modern environmentally friendly rolling stock. On Moscow’s main routes, not only buses but also Russian-made electric buses operate. They serve, among other things, extensive main routes connecting remote districts of the capital through the city center. For example, route M2 runs from Park Pobedy metro station to Vladykina through the city center. On route M3, electric buses travel from Budennogo Avenue through the central part of Moscow to Serebryany Bor. The use of electric buses allows for increased travel comfort and the consistent development of environmentally friendly ground transport.
The growth in the number of passengers on routes in the central zone is especially noticeable. Today, city residents make 535 thousand trips on these routes per day. This is 169 thousand more trips than in 2021. The passenger flow on routes passing through the central part of the city exceeds pre-COVID values by 17 percent. Moreover, more people use them. Each bus on routes in the central zone carries on average 24 percent more passengers than in other parts of the city. When recalculated per kilometer of transport work, this figure is 37 percent higher. Such data confirms the high demand for surface transport in the central part of the capital and the importance of further increasing the efficiency of the route network.
Over 10 years of modernization of surface transport routes, the system has evolved from initial changes to a large-scale system that continues to develop and adapt to the needs of passengers.
More than 700 new buses and electric buses have been delivered to Mosgortrans fleets since the beginning of the yearIn the north, northwest, and city center, the routes of surface urban transport will change
In accordance with the goals of the national project “Infrastructure for Life” In Moscow, great attention is paid to the modernization of social and communal infrastructure, including increasing the number of convenient urban transport routes and updating the rolling stock. In addition, as part of the national project, the capital has begun developing the Central Transport Hub, which will become a unified circuit with predictable suburban rail transport for more than 30 million residents of 11 regions of the country. More details about Russia’s national projects and the capital’s contribution can be found at special page.
Find out how the capital has changed over the past years, what initiatives aimed at making the lives of city residents even more comfortable are currently being implemented, and what awaits Moscow and its inhabitants in the near future in a large-scale special project on the portal mos.ru, dedicated to the development of key sectors of Moscow. Among them are transport, industry, healthcare, education, sports, and construction.
Project “Transport” will be of interest to everyone who wants to learn about the main stages of development in this field, support for electric transport, and the development of the route network.
In recent years, Moscow’s public transport has become more comfortable and environmentally friendly, travel time around the city has significantly decreased, and infrastructure for private electric vehicles has appeared.
Quickly find out the main news on the official channels of the city of Moscow in messengers “Max” and “Telegram”.
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