Which routes social buses operate in Odesa as of January 24
In Odesa, social bus routes have been formed taking into account the needs of residents, passenger flows, and areas where there is no electric transport. Social buses were launched after massive shelling in October-November 2025, which damaged substations and led to the suspension of trams and trolleybuses. This is reported by Suspilne.
Subsequently, due to repeated strikes in December, the operation of urban electric transport in Odesa was completely suspended. Buses Mercedes-Benz Citaro, received by the city as humanitarian aid from Regensburg and Istanbul, as well as transport provided by the communities of Ukraine within the project «Shoulder to Shoulder: United Communities», are used for transportation.
Social buses in Odesa: current routes
As of January 20, there are 40 buses operating on social routes serving 12 directions:
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«Railway Station — 28 Brigade Street»
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«Svyatoslava Richter Street — Dihtyarna Street»
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«Tyraspol Highway (Two Pillars) — Dihtyarna Street».
Routes that duplicate trolleybus lines:
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No. 3 «Post No. I — Taras Shevchenko Park»
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No. 8 «Railway Station — Superphosphate Factory»
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No. 9 «Inglezi Street — Rishelievska Street».
Routes that duplicate tram lines:
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No. 5 «Arcadia — Railway Station»
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No. 26 (7) «Architectural Street — Starosinna Square»
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No. 10 «Yitzhak Rabin Street — Railway Station»
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No. 15 (12) «Tyraspol Square — Slobidski Market — Khersonskyi Square — Staropodportofrankivska Street — Tyraspolska Street — Tyraspol Square»
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No. 17 «Kulikov Field — 14th station of the Great Fountain»
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No. 27 «Freedom Avenue — Architectural Street».
The city council notes that the number of buses on the routes may change due to repairs and maintenance.
Social routes in Odesa: how they were formed
The movement schemes were developed by specialists from the transport department with maximum duplication of tram and trolleybus lines, considering traffic safety and opportunities for convenient transfers. Key transport hubs are the railway station, the Peresyp Bridge, and Tyraspol Square.
Until the full suspension of electric transport in Odesa, 162 rolling stock units operated daily. Due to war and mobilization, transporters face a shortage of drivers, so the issue of fully replacing electric transport with buses is still under study.
Recall that a week ago two free social bus routes were launched in Odesa, which are intended to improve transport connectivity between key areas of the city.
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