Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

, the capital of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

, has an extensive and rapidly developing transportation infrastructure serving local public needs and facilitating external passenger and cargo traffic.

Local public transport

Public transportation includes

metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban ...

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...

, and

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...

lines, as well as a

funicular A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite e ...

. All public transport is operated by

Kyivpastrans Kyivpastrans is a municipal company that operates public transport in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Its operations include electric trams, city buses and trolleybuses. It also operates the Kyiv Funicular and some urban rail lines. Kyivpastrans was ...

, besides the metro. The city's first references to public transportation date back to the 1880s, when the city introduced omnibuses and was looking for investment in horse-drawn trams. The

Kyiv Urban Electric Train The Kyiv Urban Electric Train ( uk, Київська міська електричка, translit=Kyivska miska elektrychka) is an urban rail transit passenger service in Kyiv, Ukraine. The service is operated by Ukrainian Railways and Kyivpast ...

is a joint project of Kyivpastrans and

Ukrzaliznytsia Ukrainian Railways ( uk, Укрзалізниця, Ukrzaliznytsia, abbreviated as UZ) is a state-owned joint-stock company of rail transport in Ukraine, a monopoly that controls the vast majority of the railroad transportation in the country. ...

. Kyivpastrans does not operate minibuses.

Kyiv Metro

The publicly owned and operated Kyiv Metro is a fast, convenient and affordable network covering most of the city. The metro is expanding towards the city limits to meet growing demand. 81-7021 Kyiv Metro

The Kyiv Metro is the city’s primary mode of intracity transportation. It was the first

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...

system in

. The system has three lines, with a total length of , and 51 stations. The metro carries an average of 1.422 million passengers daily,Kyiv General Department of Statistics, 2011
/ref> 38 percent of Kyiv's public transport. In 2011, the total number of trips exceeded 519 million. The metro is also home to the deepest station in the world:

Arsenalna Arsenalna ( uk, Арсена́льна, translit=Arsenál’na, , ) is a station on Kyiv Metro’s Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line. The station was opened along with the first stage and is currently the deepest station in the world at . This is ...

, at in the ground.

Kyiv Tram

The

Kyiv Tram The Kyiv Tram is a tram network which serves the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. The system was the first electric tramway in the former Russian Empire and the fourth one in Europe after the Berlin and the Budapest and Prague tramways. The Kyiv Tr ...

, the oldest in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, wh ...

, was for a long time being replaced by buses and trolleybuses, however, the trend is partially being reversed with the redevelopment of the

Kyiv Fast Tram Kyiv Light Rail or Kyiv Express Tram ( uk, Київський швидкісний трамвай, Romanization of Ukrainian, translit.: ''Kyivs’kyi shvydkisnyi tramvai'') is a light rail rapid transit service that serves the Ukraine, Ukrainian ...

as well as planned investments in the classic tram network.

Kyiv Trolleybus

The Kyiv Trolleybus is the largest of its kind in the world in terms of line length and has many routes spanning the entire city.

Popular routes

One of the most popular and useful routes for tourists is bus No 24 (24A on weekends and holidays), travelling through Kyiv Passenger Railway Terminal,

Khreshchatyk Khreshchatyk ( uk, Хрещатик, ) is the main street of Kyiv, Ukraine. The street has a length of . It stretches from the European Square (northeast) through the Maidan and to Bessarabska Square (southwest) where the Besarabsky Market ...

, European Square and the

Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra or Kyivo-Pechers’ka Lavra ( uk, Києво-Печерська лавра, translit=Kyievo-Pecherska lavra, russian: Киево-Печерская лавра), also known as the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, is a historic Ea ...

Kyiv Urban Rail

In 2010,

service began, running at four to ten minute intervals throughout the day around the city centre and serving many of Kyiv's inner suburbs. There are many stops with transfers to the

Kyiv Metro The Kyiv Metro ( uk, Ки́ївський метрополіте́н, Kyivskyi metropoliten, ) is a rapid transit system in Kyiv that is owned by the Kyiv City Council and operated by the city-owned company Kyivsky Metropoliten''.'' It was initi ...

. In 2019, the city train operated only in rush hours from 07:00–10:00 and 16:00–20:00. Trains were very often cancelled or delayed. As a rule every day more than 40% of the rides were cancelled.

Transport to airports

Passengers can get from Zhuliany Airport by trolleybus No 9 to Kyiv Passenger Railway Terminal and

Palace of Sports Palace of Sports or Sports Palace (russian: Дворец спорта) is a generic name of comprehensive indoors sports venues introduced in the Soviet Union (compare with Palace of Culture) of big size that includes various sports halls and auxi ...

, near the centre of the city. Passengers can get from

Boryspil Airport Boryspil International Airport ( uk, Міжнародний аеропорт «Бориспіль») is an international airport in Boryspil, east of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It is Ukraine's largest airport, serving 65% of its passenger ...

by the Kyiv Boryspil Express. One ride costs ₴80. Tickets are available in ticket machines in the airport and from a train conductor.

Fare

There are no timed tickets for public transport in Kyiv. Each ride should be paid for in each bus, trolleybus, tram, or metro. Passengers can pay for their ride by Kyivsmartcard or a ticket with a QR code. One can buy tickets on the internet and just validate them from a smartphone screen or buy them in a ticket machine, located at metro stations or some vendors. In buses, trams and trolleybuses operated by

, one ride costs ₴8. These prices are the same in the metro. 1 ride costs ₴8 (by ticket or Kyivsmartcard) 10 rides cost ₴7.70 (by Kyivsmartcard) 50 rides cost ₴6.50 (by Kyivsmartcard) The penalty for travelling without a ticket is ₴160. One Kyivsmartcard costs ₴50 and should be activated before use.

River transport

The previously extensive

Kyiv River Port The Kyiv River Port ( uk, Київський річковий порт; translit. ''Kyivskyi richkovyi port'') is the main river port of Kyiv, located on the right bank of the Dnieper River in the Podil neighborhood of the city. The port has ...

riverboat service along the

Dnieper River } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukrain ...

with the Meteor and Raketa hydrofoil ships is no longer available, limiting Kyiv's river transport to cargo and tour boats and private pleasure craft.

Road

Kyiv is a crossing point for many of Ukraine's main roads. The focal point of the Ukrainian national-road system, Kyiv is linked by road to many of Ukraine's principal cities. The M05 (linking Kyiv with

Odesa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern sho ...

) and the M06 (linking the city with Chop) have been reconstructed. Without a grade-separated ring road, Kyiv has two urban bypass routes. The Central Ring (Small Bypass Road) comprises a number of interconnecting, high-capacity roads encircling the city centre, with a full circular route on both banks of the Dnieper, and is congested at rush hour. The Big Bypass Road has no river crossings, and is confined to the city's right bank. Despite this, it reduces traffic in the city centre. Kiev Funicular

Many Kyiv roads are in bad condition, and maintenance is poor. According to Kyivavtodor (the municipal road corporation), 80 percent of the city's road surfaces have been in use for 15 to 30 years, 1.5 to 3 times more than the standard 12-year lifespan.Kyiv Administration: Roads Are In Poor Technical State Because They Have Reached End Of Their Service Lives And Annual Maintenance Volume Is Low
,

Ukrainian News Agency The Ukrainian News Agency ( uk, Інформаційне агентство "Українські Новини"; ''Informatsiyne ahentstvo "Ukrayins'ki Novyny"'') is a Kyiv-based Ukrainian news agency. It produces and provides political, business ...

(12 June 2009) Bus in Kyiv

The

taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choic ...

market in Kyiv is poorly regulated (in particular, the fare per kilometer) and there is brisk competition among private companies. Many allow the scheduling of a pickup by telephone. Private citizens with cars provide taxi service on an ''ad hoc'' basis, generally by picking up people hailing a cab.

Traffic congestion Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s. When traffic d ...

and a lack of parking space are problems for Kyiv taxis. Regulations allow parking on sidewalks, which inconveniences pedestrians. The

climbs the Dnieper's right bank, carrying 10,000–15,000 passengers daily. The city has a long-distance passenger station, six cargo stations and repair facilities.

Airports

Air passengers arrive in Kyiv at one of two airports:

(served by international airlines) or Zhuliany Airport. Some of the airlines operating in Boryspil (KBP) are Ukrainian, Ryanair, Austrian, Air France, KLM, Skyup, Qatar, Pegasus, British Airways, Turkish airlines, Air Baltic, etc. Companies operating in Zhuliany airport (IEV) are WIZZ Air, Vueling, Ernest, Motor Sich, LOT, Alitalia, Belavia, etc.

Hostomel Airport Antonov Airport ( uk, аеропорт «Антонов» ), also known as Hostomel (or Gostomel) Airport ( uk, аеропорт «Гостомель»), is an international cargo airport and testing facility in Ukraine, located near Hostomel, w ...

is in the Kyiv northwestern suburb of

Hostomel Hostomel ( uk, Гостомель, ) is a city in Bucha Raion, Kyiv Oblast, northwest of the capital city of Kyiv. It hosts the administration of Hostomel settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The population of the settlement is a ...

, and primarily serves as a cargo airport.

References

External links

Transport section of city tourism website
(subscription required, not available in all countries)
Interactive map of public transport routes in Kyiv
from EasyWay {{Roads in Ukraine

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...