The increase in the cost of public transport in Kyiv to 30 hryvnias has provoked a harsh reaction from the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets. The Ombudsman called the decision of the capital's authorities economically unjustified and one that imposes excessive financial pressure on Kyiv residents under martial law.
According to the human rights activist, an immediate 3,75-fold increase in tariffs is not a transport reform, but rather indicates the transfer of the financial problems of utility companies onto the shoulders of ordinary citizens, whose real incomes are not growing.
The main points of the Ombudsman's statement:
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Chain reaction in the economy: Following municipal transport, prices for private minibuses, suburban buses, and taxi services will rise. This will lead to higher prices for food delivery and a general acceleration of inflation.
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Impact on the family budget: For one working person, the new tariffs mean additional thousands of hryvnias in expenses each month. If two or three people in a family use public transport every day, the total annual expenses will increase by tens of thousands of hryvnias.
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The example of Kharkiv as a social reference point: Dmytro Lubinets gave the example of Kharkiv, which, despite daily Russian shelling and significant destruction of infrastructure, continues to provide free public transport for its residents.
Comparative cost of monthly unlimited travel passes in Europe
The biggest resonance in the Ombudsman's statement was caused by the comparison of the cost of the Kyiv travel pass with European capitals. Due to the introduction of a fixed cost of monthly unlimited travel in Kyiv at the level of 3 hryvnias (about 82 euros), the capital of Ukraine entered the top ten most expensive cities in Europe according to this indicator, ahead of much richer megacities.
| City (Country) | Cost of a monthly unlimited travel pass (in euros)* | Average monthly salary "clean" (in euros) | Ratio of travel cost to average salary |
| Kyiv (Ukraine) | ~ 82 € (101,543 UAH) | ~815 € (36,300 UAH) | Up to 10% |
| Copenhagen (Denmark) | ~ 75 € (550 DKK) | ~€3 | Up to 2,1% |
| Helsinki (Finland) | ~ 70 € | ~€2 | Up to 2,5% |
| Vienna (Austria) | ~ 51 € (if you buy an annual climate ticket) | ~€2 | Up to 2,1% |
*Note: The cost in euros is given at the official NBU exchange rate for July 2026. For comparison, Vienna uses the annual pass model (Klimaticket), which is most popular among locals due to its affordability.
Dmytro Lubinets summarized that it is wrong to compare only the nominal price of a ticket - the key criterion should be the purchasing power of the population. In European countries, the cost of a ticket is a small fraction of the average income of citizens, while in Kyiv it will require up to 10% of the budget of an average employee.
