Kyiv's Public Transport Operator to Acquire New Trolleybuses
Kyivpastrans, the city's public transport company, has announced a procurement of 16 new trolleybuses from the company PolitekhnoServis for a total of 306.24 million hryvnias. The cost per PTS T12309 model trolleybus is 19.14 million hryvnias, equivalent to $444,000. This represents a price increase of one and a half times for similar vehicles since the onset of the full-scale war, highlighting the inflationary pressures on Ukraine's industrial sector.
Delivery Schedule and Vehicle Specifications
The delivery will occur in two phases: one trolleybus by June 30, and the remaining 15 by December 1. The vehicles must be manufactured no earlier than 2025. Each trolleybus is 11.9 meters long, has a capacity for 100 passengers with 34 seats, and is equipped with air conditioning and a 1-kilometer autonomous driving system. The model is 37% locally produced. PolitekhnoServis has been manufacturing this model since 2022, based on the Turkish Akia Ultra TB 12 chassis and using Turkish components. A two-year warranty is provided.
The tender was announced on the ProZorro public procurement platform on January 26. Payment terms allow for settlement within a month of delivery, with an option for an advance payment of up to 70%. Bidders had only eight days to submit proposals. The owners of PolitekhnoServis include former managers of Kyivpastrans, specifically Yuriy Bombandiorov and Kostiantyn Vorushylin. The company's director is Mykola Kuhut.
For comparison, in December 2025, Chernivtsi ordered the same model for 18.44 million hryvnias ($436,000). In April 2025, the price for Chernivtsi was 16.33 million hryvnias ($395,000), while in autumn 2022 it was 10.32-10.78 million hryvnias ($282,000-$295,000). Thus, the dollar price for this model has risen by 50% over the past three years. In May 2025, Chernihiv ordered Etalon T12110 trolleybuses for 12.6 million hryvnias ($303,000), while in February 2023 their cost was 7 million hryvnias ($191,000). In December 2023, Chernihiv ordered Etalon T12220 trolleybuses for 13.38 million hryvnias ($365,000).
The current price for Kyiv's trolleybuses equals 378,000 euros. Prices for similar trolleybuses in other Ukrainian cities vary:
- Mykolaiv in 2024 – 430,000 euros
- Kremenchuk in 2025 – 415,000 euros
- Ivano-Frankivsk in 2024 – 400,000 euros
- Khmelnytskyi in 2025 – 380,000 euros
Since 2016, PolitekhnoServis has been awarded state contracts totaling 1.28 billion hryvnias. Separately, 20 new Anadolu Isuzu buses have already been added to the Kyivpastrans fleet.
This procurement is part of Kyiv's ongoing public transport modernization efforts, a critical need for the capital's infrastructure. The significant price increase for rolling stock reflects broader economic challenges, including supply chain issues and currency fluctuations faced by Ukrainian cities. The contract with a supplier experienced in public tenders is expected to facilitate the fulfillment of this order.