30 UAH fare in Khmelnytskyi will not happen: city authorities

In Khmelnytskyi, they plan to launch validators in minibuses and switch to cashless payment for rides in the near future. Meanwhile, the city authorities reacted to the carriers' proposal to raise the fare to 30 hryvnias and stated that this price is considered unacceptable. This was reported by the publication VSIM with reference to the deputy mayor Mykola Vavryshchuk.

Validators in Khmelnytskyi minibuses will start working as early as June

According to the official, validators have already been installed in 99% of the small public transport in the city. The delay in launching arose due to equipment supply and the need to prepare drivers to work with the new system.

Initially, electronic payment will be tested in a trial mode. Drivers will check the payment of the fare during passenger boarding, after which the city will gradually refuse cash payments.

The city council predicts that the trial period will last about a month, and the full launch of validators will already take place during June.

Carriers ask to raise the fare due to fuel and driver shortages

The last time the fare in public transport in Khmelnytskyi changed was in July 2025, when it increased from 12 to 15 hryvnias. After a significant rise in fuel prices in spring 2026, carriers appealed to the authorities to reconsider the price.

Initially, a fare of 25 hryvnias was discussed, but later the carriers submitted new calculations where the cost of one trip is already 30 hryvnias.

In the city hall, they acknowledge that the expenses of transport companies have indeed increased due to higher fuel, lubricant, and the need to raise salaries for employees.

City council announced that 30 hryvnias for fare will not happen

One of the main problems in the industry remains the staff shortage. Currently, there is a shortage of about 250 drivers in the municipal and private transport of Khmelnytskyi, of which over 100 are needed for the company 'Electrotrans'.

Despite this, the city authorities state that the fare of 30 hryvnias will not be considered.

«30 hryvnias - this is a sum that is not being discussed at all, as it is an exaggeration and no one will consider such a sum», - noted Mykola Vavryshchuk.

In the near future, representatives of carriers and city authorities will hold additional consultations to find a compromise fare that will allow for the operation of transport and remain affordable for residents of the city.

Recall that in Khmelnytskyi on June 6, the body of an 18-year-old girl was found. It was preliminarily established that her death was the result of suicide due to falling from a 16-story building.