How to pay for public buses in Kutaisi (transport card vs bank card)?

Paying by bank card on Kutaisi buses was already possible before: in August 2026 one participant wrote that they had never used a transport card and always paid by bank card.

Why the transport card was useful: according to one participant, it meant not having to get a bank card. To get one in Georgia she would have had to open an account, pay a monthly fee for it, and, as a Russian tax resident, also notify the Russian tax authority about a foreign account and report on it every year. Reporting rules depend on your country of tax residence.

In August 2026 a passenger said an inspector on a Kutaisi bus had told her that transport cards would stop working from September and fares could then be paid by bank card only. This is the inspector's statement as relayed by the passenger, not an official announcement.

According to the same account, as of mid-August 2026 the old Kutaisi bus transport cards were still valid — until the end of that month. In September riders were asking whether the cards still worked or had been withdrawn, so check the current rules locally.