The Moscow Transport Department started the survey due to a request by Moscow City Council members. The survey asks whether drivers would eschew using their personal vehicles if public transportation tickets were free during snowfall.
The announcement by the Transport Department said that a similar measure has successfully been implemented in Rīga, where similar tickets were introduced in order to reduce the load of roads during bad weather and to allow services to clear the roads faster.
Aleksandr Semennikov, member of the Moscow City Duma, told Rossiyskaya Gazeta that the "Experience of Riga should be observed closely. Moscow is a big city and before we make a decision our transport people should find out how [the free] tickets in Rīga have influenced the intensity of vehicle flow and whether it's possible to introduce them into Moscow."
The so-called "snow tickets" are introduced, usually during heavy snowfall, at the behest of the executive director of Rīga. The tickets were first used in December 2012. The registration documents of a vehicle are accepted as a ticket during these days.
In 2016 public transportation free tickets for drivers have been announced for January 11 and January 12.
