In Lviv, private bus operators may reduce bus service

In Lviv, private transit operators have announced a partial suspension of service on city bus routes due to delayed payments for subsidized transportation. Due to a lack of funds, the companies do not have enough money for fuel, and they have also fallen behind on paying their employees’ salaries.

“Non-payment for subsidized transportation. It doesn’t matter that the city submitted the payment requests two weeks ago—we haven’t received the funds in our account. We don’t have the money to buy enough fuel. Even if we’ve asked our staff to come to work—and the drivers are showing up without pay—the buses can’t run without fuel,” Samardak stated.

According to him, the transit companies have already sent letters regarding the partial suspension of service on city routes.

“The situation is such that if we don’t suspend service on some routes, we won’t be able to operate at all,” added the head of “Ekopastrans.”

At the same time, Ihor Samardak did not specify the exact amount of payments withheld by the State Treasury.

According to Oleg Partika, acting director of the Department of Urban Mobility and Street Infrastructure at the Lviv City Council, the total amount of withheld payments to transit operators is approximately 130 million hryvnias.

These funds are intended to cover expenses for employee salaries, fuel, lubricants, and other necessities required for the stable operation of public transportation.

“These funds cover salaries, fuel and lubricants, and other related expenses necessary to ensure high-quality passenger transportation in our community. In fact, as of today, transport operators already have outstanding debts for salaries, fuel, and other supplies. We’re talking about tens of millions of hryvnias. This is a massive debt. No one is willing to lend anything to the transport operators anymore. The situation has already reached a critical point,” said Oleg Partika.

Due to financial difficulties, Lviv is considering the possibility of temporarily suspending unprofitable routes or reducing the volume of service.

According to Oleg Partika, one possible measure is to reduce the number of hours buses operate. In particular, evening trips may be cut.

“We may reduce the number of operating hours, meaning the evening schedule could be shortened. We will take measures that will allow us to save money and maintain balance in the transportation market,” the official explained.

Consequently, the delay in payments may affect the availability of public transportation in Lviv. At the same time, the specific list of routes where changes may occur and the timing of their implementation have not yet been specified.

The “Ekopastrans” Group unites three private transit operators in Lviv:

• Mira i K LLC;
• “Fiakr Lviv” LLC;
• PJSC “ATP-14630.”

These companies collectively serve a significant portion of the city’s bus routes. Therefore, any reduction in their operations could affect passenger transportation.

Currently, the carriers are reporting financial difficulties related to delays in budget payments for subsidized transportation. The future situation will depend on the receipt of funds and the companies’ ability to keep buses running.

Ihor Samardak, head of the “Ekopastrans” group, announced this in a video address on October 15.

As a reminder, Ivano-Frankivsk Mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv proposed introducing special incentives for women who become public transit drivers. 

In Ivano-Frankivsk, private transport operators are proposing to raise the fare on minibuses from 20 to 25 hryvnias. City officials are considering linking the fare increase to the installation of validators for cashless payments.