Varna bus tickets app: only TTickets stays, live GPS and card payment next

Varna is cutting its two bus ticket apps down to one: only TTickets Varna (T-tickets) will remain, and the older Ticket Varna app will be retired. Every app ticket has to be validated on the bus. Bus GPS will be linked to the app and to the electronic displays at stops so they show real-time arrivals, and paying by bank card directly on board is coming “very soon”.

No dates have been given for any of these steps (as of 26 October 2026).

What was announced?

The plans were presented at the Varna Municipal Council’s transport committee, Varna24 reported on 21 October 2026, citing BNR Radio Varna. Nikolay Antonov, executive director of the municipal bus company Gradski Transport EAD, said the buses’ GPS units will be synchronised with the ticket app run by the municipal company TASRUD and with the electronic stop displays.

Today the displays show the timetable, not where the bus really is. That is why a bus stuck in traffic, waiting at lights or delayed by an accident can be several minutes off what the display and the Varna Traffic app suggest.

Which ticket app should I use now?

Use TTickets Varna. Two apps currently run side by side, which confuses many passengers. TASRUD’s new head, Aleksandar Velinov, told councillors that only T-tickets will stay. He gave no date for switching off Ticket Varna.

TTickets Varna was launched in summer 2026, BTA reported. It lets you buy and store e-tickets, plan journeys, follow buses and save favourite stops. You can pay in the app by bank card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.

How do I validate a ticket on the bus?

Buy the ticket in the app whenever you like, and activate it on the validator when you board. The ticket’s validity only starts at that moment, so buying in advance costs you nothing. Velinov stressed that the validated ticket is the regular travel document, so an unvalidated ticket on your phone may not count during an inspection.

When will bank-card payment on board start?

Unknown. The contract for buying tickets with a bank card on the bus is to be signed “very soon”, and the validators are being tested, but no deadline was named. In July the municipality had said it aimed to add contactless card payment on validators by the end of 2026, once banking and certification procedures are done.

What changes for visitors?

• Download TTickets Varna before you travel, for example on the airport Wi-Fi, and buy a ticket before the bus arrives.
• Always tap the validator when you board, including at transfers.
• Do not rely on stop displays for exact times yet; allow a few extra minutes, especially at rush hour.
• Until card validators are live, keep the app ready rather than counting on paying with a contactless card on board.

Lines, the airport bus and ticket basics are explained in our partner site’s guide to Varna buses and tickets. For other traffic changes in the city, see Varna’s new right-turn traffic signals.

Update

We will add the switch-off date for Ticket Varna, the start of live arrivals and the launch date of on-board card payment here once they are announced.