The Ministry of Infrastructure and the Ministry of Economy have signed a memorandum with the digital platforms Bolt, Uklon, Uber and OPTI to prevent critical increases in fares in Kyiv during air-raid alerts, the suspension of public transport services — including the metro — or other logistics-related force majeure in the capital.
“For example, as happened today after the attack on the Pivdennyi Bridge,” wrote Ukraine’s Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi.
The memorandum provides for a cap on how high the price may rise under such conditions. The maximum is 75% above the base fare.
That is, if the base fare under normal conditions — without alerts, traffic jams and so on — from point A to point B is, say, UAH 200, then the maximum charge will be UAH 350. If it is UAH 300, then the maximum is UAH 525.
Passengers can adjust the price themselves, but upper limits will also be set.
This price restriction will apply for at least two hours after the all-clear following a red-level alert, or until normal public transport operations and bridge traffic are restored. Demand for trips is often highest at that time.
“We are counting on the operators taking a responsible stance and on other market participants joining in,” the Prime Minister wrote, adding that the government would closely monitor compliance with the rules mentioned above.