Government clarifies situation with use of ‘humanitarian’ transport in Kyiv

Some of the humanitarian buses Kyiv received from international partners currently lack proper documentation, which prevents them from fully operating on city routes. The Kyivpastrans (Kyiv public transport company) promises to resolve these issues shortly.

This was reported to Ukrinform by Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development Serhii Derkach, commenting on media reports claiming that buses received as humanitarian aid had allegedly been removed from Kyiv streets.

“Since February 2022, all ‘humanitarian’ public transport has been imported under a simplified procedure. Temporary registration certificates were issued for such vehicles, granting temporary permission to use the buses. At the same time, all vehicles used to transport passengers must be entered into the carrier’s licensing records in the electronic system of the Ukrtransbezpeka (State Service of Ukraine for Transport Safety), or for municipal buses, in the licensing records of the city transport enterprises,” Derkach explained.

A permanent registration certificate contains detailed information about the vehicle, essentially acting as the vehicle’s technical passport with all information about the vehicle and its owner. To obtain a permanent certificate, one must apply to a service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; the process does not take long. Some cities, according to the Deputy Minister, have already completed these procedures. For example, in Lviv and Uzhhorod, all vehicles received from partners have obtained permanent registration and are operating on routes.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, almost 100 communities have received around 1,000 vehicles from charities, foundations, and partner cities as humanitarian aid.

“Why the humanitarian vehicles in Kyiv were not properly documented requires investigation. After the issue gained attention, we contacted the Kyivpastrans management. According to them, they are already initiating procedures to obtain the necessary documents and enter the vehicles into licensing records,” Derkach said.

He added that media reports claiming the buses were idle due to not meeting environmental standards are false.

“The ecological standard of these vehicles does not matter. The key is having the necessary documents and completing the registration procedure. The Kyivpastrans promises to resolve these issues shortly,” the Deputy Minister added.

According to some media reports, most buses the Kyivpastrans received as humanitarian aid from foreign partners have not been operating on routes since the beginning of 2026 due to missing permits. Some reports also suggested that one reason for halting their use was non-compliance with environmental standards due to the vehicles’ age.