Travel cards in St. Petersburg
If you are staying in St. Petersburg for more than one week and you are using public transport to get around, it probably makes sense to buy some sort of travel card. Your choice of which type of card you need will depend on how much you travel and where to. The card itself costs a small set fee, and you can then choose how much credit to put on the card.
Metro card
These pale-blue cards are only for use on the metro, and can be bought at metro station ticket windows. The fare plans that you can use on this card include unlimited metro access for one month, a choice of reduced fares for a maximum number of days (e.g. ten journeys in seven days), or multiple tickets with smaller reductions for a maximum number of journeys in 90 days (only the latter can be used by more than one person, as all other card types have a time block of 10 minutes between uses).
Transport card
These violet cards with a picture of the Alexander Column can be bought at metro stations and can be used as a single monthly travel card for all types of public transport, the same service for two weeks, or a monthly travel card for overland transport only.
Combined transport card
This yellow-orange card with an illustration of the Bronze Horseman is for use on overland public transport (buses, trolleybuses and trams) only, and gives you ten journeys in 30 days with around a 15% saving on regular fares.
Podorozhnik Card
This flexible new transport card is decorated with a picture of a plantain ("podorozhnik"), and can be bought from ticket windows at metro stations or at 32, Ulitsa Rubinshteina. The card can be used as a carrier for any type of regular transport card (see above), or used to pay separately for metro and overland transport services, with increasing discounts the more you use the card in each calendar month.