The Verkhovna Rada has adopted draft law No. 12177-1, which allows public transport operators to use public transport donated to Ukraine by foreign partners as humanitarian aid. The decision was supported by 278 MPs. This makes it possible to put dozens of buses, trams and trolleybuses on the road, which have been idle due to a legal conflict.
Until now, only nonprofit organizations could receive humanitarian aid, while public transportation companies are formally considered profitable. As a result, even serviceable vehicles received from abroad could not be used for transportation and often stood idle for years at sites or depots. For example, in Odesa, dozens of such buses were waiting for the legislation to change.
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The new law allows buses, electric buses, trams, trolleybuses, and subway cars to be recognized as humanitarian aid. The users of this aid are officially defined as municipal carriers – both road transport companies and operators of urban electric transport.
The document also stipulates that the use of humanitarian transport to meet the transportation needs of the population will not be considered a profitable activity. The rule applies to the entire period of martial law and for another 12 months after its end.
The implementation of the law is expected to significantly improve the availability of public transport in Ukrainian cities, especially in the context of limited resources and destruction caused by the war.
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