Ministry of Development announces key changes in passenger bus transport for 2026

Serhiy Derkach, Deputy Minister of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine, outlined the main directions of the reform of the passenger bus transport sector planned for 2026. According to him, the changes are aimed at improving the quality of services for passengers, updating approaches to market regulation, and developing modern transport infrastructure.

For international transport:

• Updating the transport procedure and opening new routes;
• Verifying the route network and freeing up slots for current routes;
• Scaling up slot allocation for the last five checkpoints and modernizing the system;
• Liberalizing procedures with foreign countries.

For domestic transport:

• Launch of a simplified and digital procedure for opening new routes;
• Launch of an electronic procedure for making changes to route permits;
• Introduction of GPS monitoring in public transport to monitor route performance. The system will automatically shut down during air raid alerts;
• Launch of a project to survey bus stations;
• Approval of legislation to prevent illegal transportation;
• Ensuring that communities can order transportation services;
• Updating the system of preferential passenger transportation.

“The bus transportation sector is not simple, and it is worth remembering that it has not been regulated for over 20 years... Much has already been done as part of the reform, but we are not stopping there; we are continuing to build transparent and understandable transportation rules for all participants”, — said the deputy minister.