25.5.2026 | Estonia

Contactless Payment for All Doors on Tallinn Public Transport

Text Timo Raussi 
Photos Andrei Chertkov, 
Visit Tallinn / Rasmus Jurkatam ja Ridango

All ticket validators on Tallinn’s public transport now display payment card symbols indicating the availability of contactless payment.

From Wednesday, 27 May 2026, passengers on Tallinn public transport buses and trams can pay for their journey at all entrance and exit doors using a bank card or phone equipped with NFC contactless payment functionality and linked to a Wallet payment app. Previously, the functionality was only available at the card validator nearest the driver at the front door.

Passengers have always been able to board Tallinn buses and trams operating on routes numbered 1–99 through any door at the stop. The coronavirus pandemic ended the sale of single tickets by drivers, and since then different payment methods have been developed alongside the rechargeable Ühiskaart travel card, particularly to make travelling easier for tourists.

The reform is expected to speed up public transport journey times in some places. The effect will be most noticeable on tram line 2, which has at times stood at the harbour stop for long periods as passengers arriving from ferries crowded around the front door in queues. The new practice also improves passenger comfort and safety, as once the vehicle has left the stop there is no longer any need to move through it to pay and then return to one’s seat.

Tickets can now also be purchased by contactless payment at the middle and rear doors of Tallinn buses.

Tallinn Transport reminds passengers that bank or credit cards should always be removed from wallets, handbags or other card holders containing several cards before being used with the validator. The advice is especially important for those carrying both a previously purchased Ühiskaart travel card and a bank card activated for contactless payments abroad.

Although the validator will often beep an error when detecting several cards nearby at the same time, it may also mistakenly register a duplicate purchase. This can happen, for example, if a traveller has loaded a multi-day ticket onto their Ühiskaart at an R-kiosk and waves the wallet containing it in front of the validator to register the starting point of the journey, as even holders of day tickets are required to do in Tallinn. In the event of a technical error, the NFC bank card hidden in the wallet may also make its own separate single-ticket purchase.

During the first month, from 27 May to 26 June, the City of Tallinn will refund erroneous duplicate purchases through a simplified claims process. Reports of accidental duplicate purchases can be made using the online form here, by email to info@pilet.ee, or by telephone at +372 611 8000. After that period, erroneous purchases will generally not be refunded.

A two-euro ticket purchased by contactless payment in Tallinn is not actually a single ticket but an hourly ticket that includes transfer rights. The card must therefore also be shown to the validator when changing buses or trams. If several tickets are purchased during the same day, the system will not charge more than the €5.50 price of a day ticket. The day ticket remains valid until the end of night services on the same calendar day, rather than for 24 hours from the first journey.

It is also worth remembering that although contactless payment allows passengers to buy tickets for themselves and up to five travelling companions from the validator, only the cardholder’s own ticket purchases are automatically converted into a day ticket after the third paid journey. This is one reason why owning and using an Ühiskaart, for example by loading a three or five-day ticket onto the card at the harbour R-kiosk, may still feel worthwhile for many travellers. The Ühiskaart is also a valid and convenient payment method elsewhere in Estonia for city and regional bus services.

On Elron trains, including within the Tallinn area, the Ühiskaart does not work for tourist use, although tickets there can also be purchased using a bank card.