A Kyiv transit pass costing 4,875 hryvnias will be one of the most expensive in Europe
Following the fare increase, a monthly pass for Kyiv’s public ground transportation and metro will rank fourth in terms of price among European capitals.
This is according to a large-scale study by analysts from the civic organization “Passengers of Kyiv.”
Only London, Amsterdam, and Stockholm have higher prices for unlimited travel passes.
Experts conducted a detailed comparison of the monthly pass price proposed by the Kyiv City State Administration—4,875 UAH (about 110 euros)—with prices in other European cities.
Experts noted a massive gap between the proposed price and the actual quality of public transportation services in the capital.
According to the study, Kyiv residents will be forced to pay, on average, three times more for a pass than residents of Central and Eastern European capitals.
At the same time, the Kyiv pass will not cover travel on private minibuses or the city commuter train.
Civic activists point to the unfairness of the pricing even compared to the current rates in effect in the city.
“Even the current pass, which is very unprofitable for Kyiv residents at 1,300 UAH, costs more than in Prague and Budapest and is on par with Warsaw and Bratislava. Yet the difference in the quality, convenience, and reliability of public transport compared to these cities is simply enormous,” note Kyiv passengers.
European municipalities deliberately focus on affordable long-term passes—monthly, quarterly, or annual. This encourages private car owners to switch en masse to eco-friendly public transit, which reduces traffic congestion.
Calculating the cost of unlimited travel for a single day in European cities clearly demonstrates the scale of the overpayment: in Prague it costs 22 UAH/day, in Athens — 47 UAH/day, and in Vienna — 66 UAH/day.
Meanwhile, in Kyiv, under the new fare structure, people will have to pay 162 UAH per day.
A specialized organization in the capital criticizes this approach by city officials to setting fare rates.
“In Kyiv, they’re doing everything backwards. The Kyiv City State Administration is making monthly passes completely unprofitable and doesn’t offer quarterly or annual passes at all. To recoup the cost of a future pass priced at 4,875 UAH (with a single-ride fare of 30 UAH), a passenger would need to make eight trips every day. Only active couriers could possibly make that many trips,” the organization notes.
As of May 19, a petition calling for no increase in public transit fares in Kyiv had gathered the required number of signatures for consideration by city authorities in less than a day. The initiative emerged amid discussions about a possible fare hike in the capital and sparked a strong reaction among city residents.
Earlier, a petition against raising public transit fares was registered in Kyiv.
As a reminder, Kyiv plans to raise public transit fares to 30 hryvnias per trip. The new fares may be introduced on July 15, 2026, following the completion of regulatory procedures and consultations with the public and labor unions.
In Lviv, public transit fares were raised on May 16, and now prices depend on the payment method and can reach 30 hryvnias per trip. Authorities attribute the fare increase to rising costs for fuel and vehicle maintenance.
