Kyiv explains 3.8x transit fare hike: Energy, fuel and labor costs
Public transportation fares will increase in Kyiv (Photo: Kyiv Metro)
A planned increase in municipal public transit fares to 30 hryvnias ($0.68) is driven by rising costs for energy, fuel, rolling stock repairs, and competitive worker wages, the Kyiv City State Administration reported on Telegram on May 22.
Officials said the 30-hryvnia fare was calculated based on actual 2025 operating costs, which rose sharply across several categories.
In the metro system, wage costs increased by 61.7% and electricity costs by 66.9%. At Kyivpastrans, the city's surface transit operator, fuel costs rose 74.8% and repair and maintenance expenses climbed 63.3%.
The KCSA also noted that municipal transit ridership has fallen by approximately 42% compared to 2018 levels.
On May 18, the city announced plans to raise the single-ride fare to 30 hryvnias, alongside the introduction of a tiered discount system based on the number of trips taken.
Monthly passes, student and schoolchild discounts and a transfer ticket are also planned. The new fares are set to take effect July 15, 2026.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko announced the fare increase on April 7, noting that Kyiv's transit fares remain the lowest in Ukraine.
He directed the city's departments of economics and transportation to prepare calculations based on an economic analysis of fare revision options.
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