Belgrade Public Transport in 2026: Free Buses, Trams and the BusPlus Card You No Longer Need

The single most important thing to know about getting around Belgrade in 2026: the ride is free. Since 1 January 2025, the city has abolished fares across its entire regular public transport network, making Belgrade one of the largest cities in Europe - a metropolis of around 1.7 million people - to offer completely free public transport. If you have read older guides that tell you to buy a BusPlus card and tap in, you can happily ignore them for everyday travel.

The headline: buses, trams and trolleybuses cost nothing

Every regular city and suburban line run by GSP Beograd and its partner operators is free for everyone - residents, expats and tourists alike. That covers roughly 170 bus lines, around a dozen tram lines, the trolleybus routes, the BG Voz suburban rail, and even the night network. There are no turnstiles, no validators you must tap, and no inspectors checking tickets on these lines. You simply board through any door and ride. For anyone new to the city, this removes what used to be the single most confusing part of settling in.

So what happened to the BusPlus card?

For over a decade, BusPlus was the smart-card system you topped up at green kiosks (trafike) and tapped on a yellow reader when boarding, with fares split across Zones A, B and C. That whole apparatus - single tickets that cost roughly 89–100 dinars and monthly passes running to a few thousand dinars - has effectively been switched off for regular lines. The readers may still be bolted to the walls of older vehicles, but you do not need to touch them. In short: you do not need a BusPlus card to move around Belgrade in 2026. Any guide, forum post or hotel leaflet that insists otherwise is out of date.

The two exceptions where you still pay

Free covers the ordinary network, but a small number of premium express routes remain ticketed, and you pay the driver in cash - Serbian dinars only, so keep some coins and small notes handy:

• A1 airport minibus - the fast shuttle between Slavija Square and Nikola Tesla Airport, roughly 400 RSD per ride (about €3.50 as of 2026).
• "E" express minibus lines (such as E1, E2, E6 and E9) - limited-stop commuter services aimed at longer suburban trips, roughly 200 RSD per ride.

Crucially, the standard numbered buses and trams that share those same corridors are still free. So unless you specifically want the faster express, you almost always have a no-cost alternative running alongside it.

Getting to and from the airport

You have two public options. The paid A1 minibus is the quickest, running Slavija – Prokop main railway station – New Belgrade (Fontana) – airport, typically in about 30–45 minutes for the roughly 400 RSD fare; timetables are posted at beg.aero. If you would rather not pay at all, the free bus 72 (to and from Zeleni Venac in the centre) and bus 600 (to and from Prokop) also serve the terminal - slower and often busier, but genuinely free. A metered taxi from the airport usually runs €20–30, more between 10pm and 6am; always use the official taxi desk in arrivals or a ride-hailing app rather than a driver who approaches you in the hall.

Riding like a local

Belgrade's routes are not always intuitive, and stops are announced inconsistently, so let an app do the navigating. Google Maps, Moovit and the local site eway.rs all give live routing, line numbers and stop-by-stop directions in English. Save your home and office as favourites and you will rarely take a wrong bus.

For a free city tour on rails, ride Tram 2, affectionately called Krug Dvojke ("the Circle of the Two"). This 8.5-kilometre loop of roughly 17 stops circles the old core in about 45 minutes, passing Kalemegdan Fortress, the bohemian street of Skadarlija, the National Assembly and Slavija Square. Grab a window seat and you have sightseeing for zero dinars.

After midnight, the network thins to night lines that run at roughly hourly intervals from hubs like Trg Republike (Republic Square), Slavija and New Belgrade - also free. They are reliable but infrequent, so check the departure time before you leave the bar.

Good to know

• Board through any door - with no validation to do, locals fill vehicles from front and back alike.
• Rush hour (roughly 7:30–9:30am and 4–6:30pm) packs the central lines tight; trams and trolleybuses are often calmer than buses.
• The free-fare policy is a city decision, and as of 2026 it remains firmly in place - but it is worth a quick check on the transport secretariat's site, bgprevoz.rs, if you are reading this much later.
• Keep small dinar cash for the A1 airport shuttle, the E express lines and taxis; cards are not reliably accepted on board.

Bottom line: leave the old BusPlus card in the past. Hop on any bus, tram or trolleybus, and save your dinars for burek and coffee.