Why bus station hubs should be created in Ukraine. Blog by Vitaliy Zapukhlyak

In most European countries, bus stations are owned by cities and function as municipal infrastructure facilities. They do not depend on private investors, as they are financed annually from the city budget.

European cities understand that a bus station is not just a place where buses depart, but an important element of the transport ecosystem. Therefore, cities purposefully allocate funds for their maintenance and development.

In Ukraine, however, most bus stations are privately owned. This means that businesses take responsibility for their operation and development, and owners are forced to look for new models of efficiency and create various types of trade and transport hubs.

Ukrainian bus station as a modern hub

The global principle is the same: a bus station should be a commercial and transport hub. We follow this principle at our bus stations (Verkhovynska Bus Station, Kosiv Bus Station, Kolomyia Bus Station, Ivano-Frankivsk Bus Station suburban division, Kalush Bus Station - MAP). In some places, it is integrated with rail connections, in others with the metro or municipal transport. Ukraine must also move away from the Soviet approach to modern models, where every square metre of space is geared towards the benefit of the passenger.

That is why it is important to constantly research customer needs — not once a year, but weekly or monthly — in order to quickly implement new solutions.

One of the rules of our bus stations is that there cannot be two identical tenants at one bus station. That is, there is no point in opening several similar cafes or shops. Each tenant must create a “magnet” for visitors.

Thanks to this, we have attracted basic networks to the bus station: we are now using this principle in Kolomyia and Kosiv (where a new bus station has been built and is scheduled to open this year).

Additional services

In addition to tenants, it is important to create additional services. For example, gas stations are already operating near bus stations, and there are plans to install charging stations for electric vehicles. Solar panels are installed on the roofs, which makes bus stations energy-independent and allows them to earn money from selling electricity.

This makes the bus station convenient for customers in every way: purchasing goods, transportation services, charging cars, or even the ability to use services without entering the premises.

The bus station team is constantly working to improve the service. Station managers and departments involved in leasing space operate independently, but their work merges into a single synergy. This allows them to improve conditions for passengers every month while increasing traffic and revenue.

Thus, the creation of modern bus station hubs in Ukraine is not just a business strategy, but a necessity. In the absence of municipal support, private entrepreneurs are taking on the role of cities and proving that a bus station can be not only a point of departure, but a real center of comfort and development for the community.

Author: Vitaliy Zapukhlyak, General Director of Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Bus Station Enterprise