Three shopping and entertainment centers in Kyiv—Respublika Park, River Mall, and Lavina Mall—account for 31.5% of all Bolt rides to shopping centers in the capital. Visitor activity peaks on weekends, and seasonal demand peaks in November and December.
This is evidenced by the results of a Bolt study covering the period from November 2025 to October 2026, published by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency on November 6.
According to the study, Respublika Park accounted for the largest share of trips among Kyiv’s shopping centers—13% of the total. River Mall took second place with 10%, and Lavina Mall came in third, accounting for 8.5% of trips.
The top ten most popular shopping centers in Kyiv also included Ocean Plaza, Blockbuster Mall, Retroville, Cosmo Multimall, Gulliver, TSUM, and Sky Mall.
In total, the ten shopping centers with the highest number of trips account for 65% of all Bolt orders to shopping centers in the capital.
Most trips to shopping centers occur on weekends
According to Bolt, the busiest day of the week for visiting shopping centers is Sunday, which accounts for 20% of all weekly trips to shopping centers.
On Saturday, this figure stands at 18%, while the lowest activity is recorded on Monday—11%.
The study also identified a characteristic distribution of visits throughout the day. Most often, service users arrive at shopping centers between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. and leave them primarily between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Thus, the highest activity among taxi users heading to shopping centers occurs in the afternoon.
An important feature of the market is the seasonality of demand. According to Bolt, in November and December, the number of trips to shopping centers was 40–46% higher than the monthly average during the study period.
This indicates a significant increase in user activity toward the end of the year, when demand for holiday shopping traditionally rises.
The highest demand for trips to shopping centers is concentrated in central Kyiv
Bolt analysts also examined the geography of trips to the capital’s shopping centers.
The largest number of ride requests originate in central Kyiv. Among other districts and residential areas with high user activity, Demiivka, Kharkivskyi, Lukianivka, and Pechersk stand out.
At the same time, demand for rides to shopping centers is distributed across virtually the entire capital.
In particular, Bolt users most often travel to Respublika Park—the shopping center with the highest share of trips—from the Teremky residential area.
In October 2026, the number of trips to Respublika Park increased by 23% compared to September.
The study reflects the behavior of Bolt users and does not constitute a general ranking of foot traffic at Kyiv’s shopping centers, as it does not account for visitors who use their own cars or public transportation.
Air raid alerts remain a significant factor affecting the operation of shopping centers
Despite stable demand for shopping centers, the Ukrainian commercial real estate market continues to operate under significant restrictions due to air raid alerts.
According to data from the Ukrainian Council of Shopping Centers (URTC), in September 2026, the proportion of air raid alerts during shopping centers’ operating hours reached 30.8%, compared to 14.1% in September of last year and 22% in August of this year.
According to updated UCC statistics released on November 2, this figure rose to a new high in October—32.5% of shopping centers’ operating hours. By comparison, in October 2025, it stood at 12.2%.
Starting September 8, 2026, Ukraine introduced a two-tier system for air raid alerts based on threat level: red and yellow.
In September, yellow-level alerts accounted for 60.9% of their total duration, while red-level alerts accounted for 39.1%.
During a yellow-level alert, shopping centers are permitted to operate under certain conditions. However, large international retail chains often suspend store operations regardless of the level of the declared air threat.
According to URTC calculations, as of the end of September, the cumulative time that shopping centers across Ukraine were forced to remain closed due to air raid alerts had reached 176.5 working days since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. In September alone, this figure stood at 9.6 working days.
Thus, Bolt’s results demonstrate a concentration of demand at the capital’s largest retail properties and a significant seasonal increase in the number of trips, while URTZ’s statistics indicate heightened operational risks for retail real estate due to air raid alerts.
Bolt is an international mobility platform that provides ride-hailing services via a mobile app. The study covers trips made by the service’s users to shopping centers in Kyiv over a twelve-month period—from November 2025 to October 2026.
