Will You No Longer Need Your ID? Discounted Travel in Ukraine Is Being Switched to Bank Cards

Beneficiaries in Ukraine will be able to pay for public transport journeys using a bank card credited with specially allocated funds, instead of showing their ID to the driver. A law changing how transport benefits are provided was supported by 235 members of parliament. A transition period until July 1, 2028 has been set for its implementation.

“The document provides for a transition to targeted cash payments for transport benefits and the introduction of a unified automated fare payment accounting system,” the Verkhovna Rada said in a statement.

According to the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development, funds for travel will be credited to passengers’ bank cards. To validate a journey, passengers will need to tap their card on a validator: the system will register the journey, and the transport operator will receive payment. Existing benefits will not be canceled or reduced; only the way they are provided will change.

The costs of transporting eligible passengers will be shared among different budgets and government agencies:

• Travel for war veterans is expected to be paid for from the state budget.
• Funding for other categories of citizens will come from local budgets, depending on communities’ financial capacity.
• Relevant government agencies will provide certain benefits.

Preparatory steps must be completed during the transition period:

• Develop regulations to support the new mechanism.
• Appoint operators for local fare payment accounting systems.
• Install equipment and connect it to the unified system.
• Register eligible passengers.

According to the Ministry, creating the unified automated system will require at least UAH 60 million over two years. The final amount will depend on the system’s features.

Tracking actual journeys made using benefits is expected to make reimbursements to transport operators more transparent. The new mechanism should also help reduce the number of conflicts between passengers and drivers.

We previously wrote:

• Mykolaiv’s e-ticket: UAH 2.23 billion just to launch
• Over UAH 1.67 million in losses: auditors uncover violations at Mykolaivpastrans
• In Mykolaiv, a minibus driver refused to transport a combat veteran for free
• City Hall drafts a decision that would prevent the monetization of public transport benefits in Mykolaiv
• Ukraine introduces the monetization of public transport benefits