Biometric fare payment: software for turnstiles and validators paying through the UBS
A passenger walks up to a metro turnstile or a bus validator, looks at the camera — and the fare is paid without a card or a phone. Your bank or the fare payment operator matches the face against the Unified Biometric System and charges the fare. NeuroVision gives the turnstile what a biometric pass cannot be safe without: a liveness check, “one passenger — one pass” control and prompts in the flow.
Software for a biometric turnstile
The bank or the fare payment operator matches the face against the UBS and charges the fare; NeuroVision is responsible for capturing and checking the frame.
How biometric fare payment works: passenger, validator and the UBS
The metro already accepts biometric payment
Open-source data as of September 2026.
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The face opens an account, not the carrier’s database
A passenger submits biometrics to the UBS once and links payment — in the carrier’s or the bank’s app. At the turnstile the frame is sent for matching through the system of an accredited organization, and the fare is charged at the regular rate. This is how it works in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and other cities.
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Without a frame check the turnstile will open for the wrong person
In front of a turnstile there is a crowd, children, reflections in the glass and people trying to get through on someone else’s account. So before matching, the software checks that a live person is in front of the camera, that they are alone and that it is exactly this person passing now.
- 7 cities with biometric fare payment in the metro
- ≈9 million people had submitted their biometrics to the UBS themselves by the end of 2025
- since 2021 biometric payment at all Moscow metro stations
Metro, bus, commuter train: where a passenger pays with a look at the camera
The best-known example is face payment in the Moscow metro, but cameras appear wherever a passenger goes through a turnstile or approaches a validator. The logic is the same; the flow and the installation spot change. How the terminals and ATMs themselves work — on the “Biometric POS terminals and ATMs” page
At a checkout the customer stands and waits. At a turnstile the passenger is walking, there is a queue behind, and the camera hangs at a level that is not convenient for everyone. The NeuroVision module is tuned to these conditions, not to a shop window.
How the liveness check works and why it cannot be bypassed with a photo on a phone — on the page Liveness.
What the validator software checks before a frame goes for matching
Before matching with the UBS the frame passes four filters. Anything that fails does not leave the turnstile: the carrier does not pay for empty requests, and the passenger sees at once what to fix.
- A photo on a phone screen, a printout, a photo from social networks
- A mask, a 3D head, a video recording, a face substituted by a neural network
- Two faces in the pass zone — the frame is not sent
- A person walked past the camera without stopping at the turnstile — payment is not started
- A hood, a scarf, a medical mask, dark glasses — a prompt on the screen
- Bright light from the street, a shadow in the lobby, camera height — tuned to your station
- The frame passed the checks and was handed over for matching with the UBS through the bank or the payment operator
- A series of attempts with fakes at one turnstile — a signal to the duty officer
- “Reject” — the frame is not sent, the turnstile offers a card
- “Suspicious attempt” — an event in the security log
- “Setup” — set for a station or a vehicle
- “Try again” — a prompt to the passenger. More about protection — Liveness
Carrier, bank, validator manufacturer and NeuroVision: who pays for what and who is responsible
Biometric fare payment is a four-party project. Roles are divided before turnstiles are purchased, otherwise the project runs into the contract with the bank or into device certification. The connection is made by your integrator or NeuroVision partner. How a bank launches biometric payment on its side — “Biometric payments for banks”.
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Carrier or metro operator
Decides where to put cameras, how many turnstiles to move to biometrics and how to show the passenger another way to pay. Does not receive or store passengers’ biometrics.
Responsible for:
Stations and vehicles
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Bank or fare payment operator
The contract with the carrier, receiving the frame, passing it for matching with the UBS through an accredited organization, charging at the tariff.
Responsible for:
Payment and the UBS
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Manufacturer of turnstiles and validators
The body, the camera, the device software, the link to the fare payment system. Embeds the NeuroVision SDK into its software.
Responsible for:
Devices
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NeuroVision
Validator SDK and turnstile module: prompts, Liveness, “one passenger — one pass”, an attempt log; cloud in Russia or the carrier’s environment.
Responsible for:
Frame check
Biometric fare payment and the law: only through the UBS, 10 days and the right to pay by card
What Federal Law 572‑FZ on biometrics means for a turnstile and a validator. A retelling of the norms as of October 28, 2026 — a guide for a conversation with a lawyer, not a legal opinion.
- Biometrics for authentication are processed only for matching against UBS vectors (clause 2, part 1, art. 15 of 572‑FZ)
- That is why the turnstile does not look for the passenger in its own database: the frame is sent for matching through the system of an accredited organization (part 4, art. 16 of 572‑FZ)
- Since September 1, 2024 Moscow has had a regional UBS segment; the cases of its use are defined until January 1, 2027 (Russian Government Resolution of 26.08.2024 No. 1151)
- A person’s refusal to have biometrics collected prohibits collecting and placing them (ibid.)
- Biometrics are processed with written consent (part 1, art. 11 of 152‑FZ); the passenger gives consent to payment when linking it
- Refusing biometrics cannot be a reason for refusing service (part 13, art. 3 of 572‑FZ): there is always a card, a travel pass and cash next to the camera
- Frames for authentication are kept only for handling complaints and for no longer than 10 days (part 2, art. 15 of 572‑FZ); cross-border transfer is prohibited (part 21, art. 3)
- NeuroVision software does not leave the frame in the turnstile’s memory after sending; the cloud is on servers in Russia
- 572‑FZ — as amended on 28.12.2024, 152‑FZ — as amended on 26.07.2026; current versions — in ConsultantPlus. What the UBS is — article; how an organization connects to the UBS — “Remote identification through the UBS”.
Who needs biometric fare payment
Those who carry passengers, make turnstiles and validators or run transport payments.
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Metro operators
- Turnstile camera module
- “one passenger — one pass”
- On-premises installation
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City carriers
- Validators on buses and trams
- Payment on boarding
- Another method next to it Learn more
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Suburban and river carriers
- Turnstiles on platforms
- Validators at piers
- Working with a weak network Learn more
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Turnstile and validator manufacturers
- SDK in the device software
- Prompts for your screen
- Testing on your models
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Banks and fare processing
- One frame check on all turnstiles
- Attempt log
- A link to the UBS through the bank Learn more
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Transport card operators and integrators
- Biometrics next to the card and the travel pass
- REST API
- A pilot at several stations Learn more
Price: validator SDK, turnstile module and installation at the carrier
The price depends on the number of devices and the model: a licence for the fleet, payment per active passenger per month or per pass. The payment and UBS matching fee is charged by the bank — it is not included in the NeuroVision price.
- Calculate a validator
Validator SDK
on request
Camera, prompts, Liveness, control of other faces for a validator in a vehicle or at a pier.
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“One passenger — one pass”, Liveness in the flow, an attempt log, a link to the fare payment system.
- Calculate installation
Carrier’s environment
on request
Installation on the carrier’s or the bank’s servers, a licence for the device fleet.
The first month is a free test, you pay only for checks. Check prices are inprice matrix.
How to connect: validator, turnstile, API or the carrier’s environment
Four ways to connect the frame check: in the validator software, next to the turnstile software, through the API or on your servers.
- Test period — 1 month
- Cloud in Russia or your server
- A pilot at several turnstiles
Terms of connection
Glossary of transport payments: ASOP, validator, regional UBS segment
Words from the turnstile specification, the bank contract and a conversation with a lawyer.
- Biometric fare payment
- A fare payment where the passenger confirms their identity with their face at a turnstile or validator, and the UBS does the matching.
- biometric fare payment
- ASOP
- Automated fare payment system: validators, turnstiles, transport cards and the carrier’s settlements.
- automated fare collection
- Validator
- A device in a vehicle or at an entrance that accepts fare payment; with a camera — also by biometrics.
- validator
- Regional UBS segment
- Part of the Unified Biometric System for the services of one region; created in Moscow in 2024.
- regional UBS segment
- One passenger — one pass
- A rule under which the turnstile does not open if there are two people in the pass zone.
- anti-tailgating
- Liveness
- A check that a live person is in front of the camera, and not a photo, a screen, a mask or a deepfake.
- liveness detection
- Accredited organisation
- A company that, under 572‑FZ, is entitled to match faces against UBS vectors for others.
- accredited biometric provider
Licences and certificates
The project «Development of a multimodal system using artificial intelligence "Neuromed" for managing the diagnostic processes of a clinic on the basis of the "Neurovision" computer vision platform» is supported by the Innovation Promotion Foundation within the federal project «Domestic Solutions»
The Neurovision computer vision platform is registered with Rospatent (certificate No. 2023661508) and included in the Russian Software Registry (entry No. 19972 of 13.11.2023)
The right to use the Platform is granted under a licence agreement concluded by Neurovision with its customers
Let’s discuss biometric payment for your transport
Tell us what you have — metro, buses, commuter trains or piers — which turnstiles and validators and who runs fare payment. We will propose an embedding scheme and a pilot.
Can't put your request into words? Book a call and our team will contact you at a convenient time
Book a call
The company is included in the register of IT companies and the register of personal data operators of the Russian Ministry of Digital Development.
Address: Moscow, Presnenskaya Embankment 12 — Moscow City business centre, Federation Tower. Nearest metro stations: Delovoy Tsentr and Mezhdunarodnaya.
Read also
Materials on face recognition, algorithm accuracy and protection against deepfakes — in our blog.
Unified Biometric System (EBS): What It Is, How to Enroll Your Biometrics, and Where It’s Used
Liveness Detection: What It Is, How Liveness Checks Work, and Where Businesses Need It
Deepfakes in KYC: Detecting Face Spoofing and Protecting Video Verification
Local or cloud KYC: how to choose a biometric data storage model
Frequently asked questions about biometric fare payment
The passenger submits biometrics to the UBS once and links payment. At the turnstile or validator they look into the camera, the frame goes for matching with the UBS, and the fare is charged to the linked card or account.
As of September 2026 — in the metro of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk and Samara. In Moscow payment runs on the regional UBS segment, in other cities — through banks and bio-acquiring.
No. The frame goes for matching and does not stay in the turnstile. Biometrics for authentication may be stored for no longer than 10 days and only for handling complaints (art. 15 of 572‑FZ).
No. A person can be recognized automatically from a stored face through the UBS, or when an employee matches the face with a photo themselves. A turnstile has no employee, so for fare payment the path through the UBS remains.
If there are two faces in the pass zone, the frame is not sent for matching, and the turnstile asks to pass one at a time or tap a card.
They pay by card, travel pass or cash. Refusing biometrics cannot be a reason for refusing service (part 13, art. 3 of 572‑FZ).
Without a connection, matching with the UBS is impossible, so biometric payment is temporarily unavailable, and the validator accepts a card.
It depends on the city: in Moscow payment is linked in the metro app, in other cities — in the bank’s app or SBPay.
Here the passenger pays for the fare. Boarding a train or a plane by biometrics is a separate UBS scenario, and passengers’ documents for named tickets are on the page “Passenger transport”.
Validator SDK, turnstile module and installation in the carrier’s environment — on request; the first month is a free test.
