A new fare project for transport in minibuses has been published in Vinnytsia, which proposes an increase in the cost of travel to 30 hryvnias on most routes and up to 35 hryvnias on certain suburban routes. If the decision is supported, the city will rank among the leaders in Ukraine for public transport fares. This is reported by the publication 20 Minutes.
The new fare in Vinnytsia is proposed to be raised to 30 hryvnias
A new draft decision on the fare in route taxis has been published for public discussion on the city council website.
The document proposes setting a fare of 30 hryvnias on most city routes. For routes No. 30A, No. 30B, and No. 34A, which serve suburban directions, it is proposed to set the fare at 35 hryvnias.
Back in spring, transporters asked to approve a fare of 25 hryvnias, but after reviewing economic calculations, the proposed price increased.
Transporters explain the increase by rising fuel prices
The current fare in minibuses in Vinnytsia has been in effect since 2022. During this time, as noted by transporters, the main costs of transporting passengers have significantly increased.
The minimum wage during this period has risen from 6,000 to 8,647 hryvnias, and the cost of diesel fuel has increased from 57 to nearly 86 hryvnias per liter.
Transport companies also report price increases for spare parts, technical maintenance, and repairs of buses. According to them, without reviewing the fares, the industry will operate at a loss, which could lead to a reduction in the number of routes and longer travel intervals.
Vinnytsia could surpass Kyiv and Dnipro in travel costs
The city administration has considered three options: retain the current fare, compensate transporters for the difference from the city budget, or agree to increase travel costs.
The authorities deemed the first two options impractical. Officials explain that budgetary compensation could lead to cuts in funding for other city programs.
If the new fare is approved, travel in minibuses in Vinnytsia will be more expensive than in Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Chernivtsi, and Zhytomyr. Currently, among neighboring regional centers, only Cherkasy has a comparable travel cost of 25 hryvnias.
It should be noted that the Mayor of Vinnytsia, Serhiy Morgunov, reported on the withdrawal of a request for 15 buses from the Polish twin city of Kielce. This decision was made due to the escalation of political discourse arising in Ukrainian-Polish relations.