Passengers will need to have passports ready as Ukrzaliznytsya, the state-owned railway, introduces personalized tickets
alping and eliminate ticket shortages.
Ukrzaliznytsya, the state-owned railway monopoly, has announced it will sell personalized tickets starting July 20. Ukrainians and foreigners will have to present their documents twice – first at the cashier’s booth while purchasing a ticket and then before boarding the train.
Viktor Falkov, spokesman for Ukrzaliznytsya, said any document with a “stamped photograph” will be accepted, while birth certificates will be required for children under 16. Tickets purchased before July 20 will remain valid without identification documents attached, Falkov said.
It was unclear how the new system would affect those who order ticket delivery service. Falkov said customers would have to provide all the names of the travelers because names will be printed on the tickets.
Ukrazaliznytsya officials hope the move will halt scalping at the train stations and improve customer service. He said scalpers have been using both friendly ties and bribery to buy dozens of tickets from cashiers. Then they turn around and sell the marked-up tickets just meters away from the cashier’s booth.
Often scalpers have snatched up all tickets to popular summer destinations like Crimea, leaving travelers in a bind. Unable to buy tickets officially, many travelers have been forced to buy seats at inflated prices, Falkov said.
Police on duty at the Kyiv railway station generally ignore the dozens of scalpers offering tickets in the station’s lobby.
Falkov said Ukrzaliznytsya has used criminal justice system means to stifle corruption at railway ticket booths. He said several cashiers were given jail terms for abusing their positions.
An anonymous tip about a cashier abusing his position is enough to merit immediate dismissal, Falkov said, yet such tough measures have not decreased scalping.
A cashier’s monthly salary varies from Hr 70 to Hr 300 depending on rank, with most cashiers in Kyiv earning about Hr 200 a month.
Falkov said the new regulation follows the example of Russia, which introduced a similar practice two years ago with good results.
“We are not trying to violate human rights,” he said. “We just want ordinary people to be able to buy tickets calmly. I hope people will understand.”
The decision prompted criticism from local media, which argued that a similar regulation that was in effect from 1990 to 1991 failed to improve the situation.
