The capital authorities declare that free travel in public transport in Kyiv is impossible without financial support from the state. Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said this in a comment to journalists, explaining that the maintenance of the transport network costs the city approximately 20 billion hryvnias, and the budget of Kyiv is unable to finance even free transportation on its own - especially on the eve of the heating season.
According to Klitschko, a significant part of these costs is fuel for buses, trolleybuses and trams. "We are ready to do it, but there must be compensation," he emphasized.
The state owed Kyiv billions for beneficiaries
The mayor reminded that for 11 years, the government has not settled with Kyiv for already available preferential transportation: the debt for the subvention for free travel of preferential categories of passengers has exceeded 8 billion hryvnias.
According to preliminary calculations, in order to make travel free for all passengers of municipal buses, trolleybuses and trams in Kyiv, about 2.2 billion hryvnias will have to be allocated from the budget to compensate carriers every year.
The free travel initiative appeared after President Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced on November 8 that he had instructed the government led by Serhiy Koretsky to develop a plan for the introduction of free ground public transport in Kyiv. Klitschko reacted skeptically to this, noting that there are enough buses in Kyiv, but there is a lack of drivers.
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