Klitschko announced changes to Kyiv's public transportation system during emergencies
Kyiv is preparing changes to public transportation operations due to prolonged air raid alerts, which are increasingly affecting travel throughout the city. The city has already redeployed 140 buses to routes that serve as alternatives to the metro and is also working on a plan to keep bridges open to traffic during alerts.
Kyiv is reorganizing public transportation operations due to prolonged air raid alerts. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, the city is facing serious mobility issues due to service suspensions and restrictions. “Air raid alerts have paralyzed business operations and public transit, and the city is essentially in a state of collapse. We need to find solutions under these new conditions so that the city can continue to function,” the mayor said.
One of the main tasks right now is to ensure that people can get around the city even when some public transportation services are suspended due to security restrictions.
Kyiv has added 140 buses
Due to restrictions on subway service, the city has decided to expand surface transportation. According to Klitschko, 140 buses have already been redeployed from other routes. They are being used on routes that overlap with subway lines.
This should help transport passengers during periods when the metro cannot operate as usual. “We are currently devoting all our transportation resources to reducing the burden on the metro,” Klitschko noted.
At the same time, city officials acknowledge that it is impossible to completely replace the metro with buses. The metro carries significantly more people, and surface transportation does not have sufficient capacity to fully take over its passenger flow. Therefore, Kyiv is seeking not just one solution, but several ways to make the transportation system more resilient during prolonged emergencies.
Bridges may remain open during a state of emergency
Another change may concern traffic across the bridges over the Dnipro River. Klitschko stated that in the near future, Kyiv may allow traffic on the bridges even during air raid alerts. “In the near future, we will be able to keep our bridges open even during air raid alerts. These are key transportation arteries,” the mayor said.
This is a critical issue for the entire city. When restrictions are in place on the bridges, travel between the right and left banks becomes difficult, and passengers are forced to find alternative routes. This can lead to large crowds and traffic jams. The situation becomes particularly challenging when the alert lasts for a long time. At the same time, a decision has not yet been made to automatically open the bridges during every alert. The city is working with the military on amendments to the current security protocols.
The final decision must be approved
Klitschko noted that a decision by city authorities alone is not sufficient to change the rules. The new procedure for bridge operations during air raid alerts must be approved at the national level. In other words, the focus right now is on drafting new rules, not on all of Kyiv’s bridges already beginning to operate during every alert.
City officials had previously announced their intention to review the procedures for organizing traffic across the bridges. Now this issue is being discussed with the military and other relevant agencies. The main goal is to strike a balance between public safety and the city’s ability to function normally during prolonged attacks.
They want to improve connections between the riverbanks
Separately, Kyiv is exploring ways to strengthen transportation links between the right and left banks of the Dnipro River. This isn’t just about buses. The city also wants to improve connections between different parts of the transit network, particularly between the red and green metro lines.
This should give passengers more options for getting around if certain parts of the transit system are temporarily out of service. According to Klitschko, prolonged air raid alerts are forcing the city to rethink its usual model for public transportation operations. While restrictions used to be mostly short-term, alerts can now significantly impact the city’s operations over an extended period.
Kyiv is adapting its transportation system to the new conditions
City officials are effectively trying to restructure the transit system so that it can operate even during prolonged air raid alerts. The first step has already been taken—140 buses have been deployed on routes that duplicate the metro lines. The next possible step is to change the traffic rules for bridges, but this still requires approval at the national level.
At the same time, the city is looking for ways to improve connections between the two banks of the Dnipro River and between different metro lines. Klitschko emphasizes that Kyiv must continue to function even under difficult conditions. Therefore, city officials are seeking solutions that will allow them to comply with security requirements without bringing the capital’s transportation system to a standstill during every prolonged attack. Klitschko discussed this in a comment to “Suspilne.”
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has adopted a series of decisions to adapt the operations of the state, businesses, and infrastructure to the new tactics of Russian airstrikes. In particular, the government recommends ensuring the full operation of the Kyiv Metro during a yellow alert and, if necessary, increasing the number of surface public transportation routes so that citizens can get to work, medical facilities, and metro stations.
On September 3, a temporary bus route No. 1-M began operating in the capital, connecting the “Palats Sportu” and “Lisova” metro stations. The route runs along the surface section of the Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska metro line to provide additional transportation links between the city’s right and left banks.
