[1][2] It was originally formed under the name Moscow Bureau of Passenger Transportation[note 3] as a result of a merger of previously separate government agencies regulating trams, trolleybuses, and private cars.

[3] The first public transportation in Moscow was the streetcar (tram), opened in 1899.

The post-Soviet era saw the introduction of the Moscow Monorail (debuted 2004), although it has at times only operated in an "excursion mode".

[note 4][8] Since then it has changed names four times, lastly in 2011: The Department's official responsibilities are to develop transportation legislation at the city level in Moscow, to monitor compliance with federal and regional laws in the field of transport and highway infrastructure development, and to develop and implement measures to improve the transportation functioning in Moscow.

[15] As of January 2018, Deptrans opened 400 free parking lots to ease congestion.