Kyiv will become the first Ukrainian city to ditch paper tickets on public transport starting July 14.
Paper tickets will be replaced with QR passes and transport cards, available at T-kiosks, e-ticket self-service terminals, EasyPay terminals, metro stations and through mobile application Kyiv Tsyfrovyi (Digital Kyiv).
According to Kyiv officials, the use of paper tickets makes it impossible to track passenger traffic.
“It will now be easier to keep track of passengers’ trips, including those with benefits (such as retirees, war veterans and Chornobyl survivors) and reimburse carriers for their actual expenditures,” the city said in a statement.
Electronic passes will also help the city improve how it operates public transport and mitigate congestion.
Some types of public transport in Kyiv have already switched to e-tickets, including the funicular, high-speed trams in the Troieshchyna and Borshchahivka neighborhoods, as well as the city train.
The role of conductor, who sells paper tickets on public vehicles, is being phased out as well. Conductors have received offers to become controllers or consider other vacancies at the capital’s public transport company Kyivpastrans. Those who choose to resign will receive financial assistance.
