- Steps
- None - escalators at every station
- But
- Soviet-deep: escalators run long
- Lifts
- Installed at some; many not working
- Fare
- UZS 2,500 (Rs ~18) a ride
- Fallback
- Yandex Go door-to-door, UZS 15-30k
Short answer: yes for seniors who walk steadily and can manage a long escalator; no for anyone who needs guaranteed step-free access. The Tashkent Metro is the city's sightseeing bargain - ornate Soviet-era stations, air-conditioning, UZS 2,500 a ride - but its accessibility story is mixed. Here is the honest picture.
What works in seniors' favour
No station requires climbing stairs: escalators carry you from street to platform everywhere. Platforms are level with train floors, carriages are modern on most lines, and off-peak the system is calm and spacious. The stations themselves are the attraction - Kosmonavtlar's space murals, Alisher Navoi's domes - so the sightseeing is seated and shaded. Staff are visibly present, and the city runs a Passenger Mobility Support Center that assists passengers with reduced mobility on request.
What does not
The metro was dug deep. Some escalator rides run close to two minutes, and they move at Soviet pace - brisk. Anyone unsteady on escalators should use the lift... except that is the weak point: Uzbek media reported in September 2025 that many of the newly installed platform lifts (the Osten units) were either not connected or rarely in service. Treat the metro as escalators-only when planning. Interchange stations also mean corridors of a few hundred metres between lines - flat, but real walking.
How to ride it comfortably
Ride off-peak (10 AM-4 PM) when escalators and platforms are empty. Stand right, hold the rail, and let anyone who dislikes the descent ride the escalator sides where speed feels gentler. Plan one or two station hops rather than a marathon - a Metro sightseeing morning of three or four stops with cafe breaks is far better than an eight-station circuit. Buy the electronic fare (UZS 2,500 vs 3,000 cash) at the gate with a bank card tap.
When to take a taxi instead
Yandex Go is the pressure valve: door-to-door rides across the centre cost UZS 15,000-30,000 (Rs 100-210), so a day that mixes two metro hops for the beautiful stations with taxis for everything else costs almost nothing and spares the legs entirely. With parents who use a cane or walker, skip the metro's deep interchange stations and taxi between the sights - the stations worth seeing (Kosmonavtlar, Alisher Navoi, Mustakillik Maydoni) each work as a single in-and-out ride. Our 3-day itinerary builds the metro morning exactly this way, and the airport transfer guide covers getting Yandex Go set up.
A Miranda House graduate and lawyer who traded courtrooms for slow travel. Cheshta travels with the batches we host ourselves, with a soft spot for travelling alongside elders.
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