Upgrading Kyiv’s Public Transit During the War
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, Kyiv has pressed on with modernizing its municipal transport fleet. The city’s operator, Kyivpastrans, has been buying new buses, trams, and trolleybuses using international loans, city budget funds, and its own revenues. The total cost of these purchases runs into billions of hryvnias.
New Vehicle Purchases
Between 2025 and 2026, 85 low-floor Isuzu Citiport 12 buses, made in Turkey, entered service on Kyiv routes. The overall price tag for these buses, including related services, came to €18.6 million. Under a European Investment Bank (EIB) project, the city also received 19 low-floor K1T306 trams built by Odesa-based firm Tatra-Yug. The contract for these trams totaled €24.9 million, with the first unit delivered to Kyiv back in 2021. In 2025, the city bought eight more K1T306 trams using local budget funds for UAH 768.9 million.
In early 2026, Kyivpastrans signed a contract for 16 new low-floor PTS T12309 trolleybuses from the company Politekhnoservis. The purchase amount was UAH 303.5 million. The tender for these trolleybuses was announced on January 15, 2026, and the winner was Politekhnoservis LLC with a bid of UAH 306.24 million. Competing against them was a proposal from Bas Motor LLC, which belongs to the Bohdan corporation.
The price per trolleybus worked out to UAH 19.14 million (roughly $444,000), which turned out to be more expensive than similar purchases in other cities. For instance, Chernivtsi bought the same trolleybus in December 2025 for UAH 18.44 million ($436,000) per unit, and in April 2025 for UAH 16.33 million ($395,000). Over the nearly four years of war, the cost of the PTS T12309 model has risen by about one and a half times. The State Audit Service reviewed the trolleybus procurement and found that Kyivpastrans had a commercial offer from Politekhnoservis that was UAH 171,200 cheaper per unit. The potential overpayment for the entire batch could have reached UAH 2.74 million.
The first eight PTS T12309 trolleybuses hit Kyiv’s routes on June 22, 2026, with the remaining vehicles expected by the end of July 2026. The PTS T12309 is built on a chassis from the Turkish company Ulaşım İç ve Dış Ticaret A.Ş. (brand Akia), has a backup battery range of up to 1 km, and features 37% local production content.
As for suppliers, Tatra-Yug holds a monopoly on low-floor trams for Kyiv. The company built all 20 K1T306 cars under the EIB program, which ran from 2021 to 2023. Tram tenders faced no competition, and a key qualification requirement was having a similar contract for new tram cars between 2017 and 2024.
“I couldn’t find a single previous example of this trolleybus model being purchased at such a high price anywhere on the market.”
Yuriy Nikolov
In summary, Kyiv’s wartime public transport purchases raise questions about transparency and competitiveness, while also revealing a trend of rising vehicle costs.
Upgrading Kyiv’s municipal transport is a crucial step for keeping public transit running during the war and ensuring residents can get around. However, concerns about procurement transparency and possible overpayments may stir public unease. It is essential that all processes are as open as possible, and that competition among suppliers helps drive down prices for public transport—ultimately improving the quality of service for citizens.
As Kyiv continues to enhance its public transport network, the recent addition of thirteen new buses and trolleybuses reflects the city's commitment to improving mobility for its residents. This strategic move not only addresses the growing demand for efficient transit options but also highlights the ongoing investments in the city's infrastructure. For more details on these new vehicles, you can read about the latest additions to Kyiv's fleet.