The State Service of Ukraine for Transport Safety (DSBT, Ukrtransbezpeka) issued 176 licenses for passenger bus transportation in January-June this year, compared to 540 last year, 823 in 2023, and 783 in 2022, said the head of Ukrtransbezpeka, Mykyta Lagunin, in an interview with the agency “Interfax-Ukraine.”
“First, the market is already saturated. Secondly, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, a simplified procedure for obtaining licenses was adopted. But in 2024, this forced norm was revised to take into account European integration aspirations, so there was a return to stricter conditions for issuing licenses,” he explained the dynamics of the reduction in the issuance of licenses.
Lahunin recalled that after the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, air traffic was blocked, rail transport also has certain restrictions, so there was a surge in bus transportation.
He noted that Ukrtransbezpeka is constantly working to create services that help passengers feel safe and understand who is transporting them today, for which purpose it is opening all its databases. Among other things, the head of the service advised using the Register of Issued and Revoked Licenses on the single state portal of open data (https://middleware.dsbt.gov.ua/lc/licenses).
He also reminded that a service https://autobus.gov.ua/ has been created, where you can buy a ticket directly from a carrier that has all the necessary documents: a license and the appropriate permits to operate on this route.
“In addition, there is a convenient service for checking licensees by vehicle number (https://autobus.gov.ua/). You see a bus, enter its license plate number, and immediately receive all the information: whether it has a license or not,” Lagunin gave another piece of advice.
He noted that for the convenience of passengers and to create equal, convenient, and efficient conditions in the market for carriers, Ukrtransbezpeka is trying to digitize all of its service functions as much as possible.
“Our main body is the Unified Information System Complex, known as EKIS, part of which is EKP, the electronic carrier’s office.
We are focused on developing this tool: we are constantly improving it, adding new modules, and engaging in ongoing dialogue with businesses to get feedback on what else we can improve,” added the head of Ukrtransbezpeka.
As an example of the fight for fair rules in the market, Lagunin cited recent changes to passenger transport regulations, which will come into force in three months, in September this year. According to him, from now on, irregular carriers will be allowed to operate no more than twice a week with one vehicle on one route.
“If you want more, go and get a permit. We have developed an electronic module. The system will not allow you to enter information about a trip more times than required by law. And if a carrier has not entered this trip and is providing transportation, it is automatically considered a violator because it has not declared its intention to transport passengers on this route,” explained the head of Ukrtransbezpeka.
According to the Register of Issued and Revoked Licenses on the service’s website, it currently contains 12,392 entries on valid licenses for passenger bus transportation, of which 3,095 are for international transportation.
