In Uzhgorod, carriers want the fare of 4.5 UAH

On February 27, in Uzhgorod Press Club, there was a meeting on fares on public transport in Uzhgorod. Thus, a public discussion of this topic has started the city.

Representatives of the carriers explained journalists their reasons for the need to increase fares on public transport in Uzhgorod. Also, they presented calculations of the cost of transportation, justification of tariffs.

Volodymyr Kozun, the director of the "Uzhgorod ATP 12107" JSC told about the meeting at the city hall: "The carriers submitted cost estimates for passenger transportation. The government understands the situation and coooperates. Another thing is that our calculations are to be checked and the process of approval of the new profitable tariffs lasts rather long. We are asking to expedite the process, because this situation is a stalemate. First of all, it is about the cost of fuel. Today is the second day the price has not changed. Untill now, for a week, fuel prices were growing every day. Based on the current prices, the tariff should be around 4.5 UAH per trip (with the efficiency of 15% – 0.5 UAH)." 

Oleksandr Voronin, the President of the Association of Carriers "Zakarpatavtotrans" said, "We want to make an informed decision. The problem that we are raising today is relevant not only for Uzhgorod, but for the entire region. Today, all carriers are struggling to ensure transportation. We understand that, unfortunately, the tariff increase is a dead end. There should always be a middle ground, a passenger must be able pay for the ride and receive transport service, and the carrier must be able to arrange adequate transportation for this money. We need to find this middle ground." 

According to the carriers, they will apeeal to the Verkhovna Rada requesting to cancel state tariff regulation. "We are not interested in exorbitant tariffs. People are not going to ride for 10 UAH, but we can not work for 3 UAH" – the carrier says. Otherwise, 50-60% of the vehicles in the city will stop, the carriers will switch to small 5-6-seat vehicles, that will be profitable, but highly inconvenient to the people. 

Every day, about 30-40 thousand residents of Uzhgorod ride by buses. The carriers point out that 30% of them are beneficiaries, Uzhgorod Press Club informed.