The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s Committee on Transport and Infrastructure recommended adopting as a basis Draft Law No. 15034, which provides for a new mechanism for organising intercity and suburban bus services within a region.

The Draft Law proposes transferring these powers to village, settlement, and city councils if a route passes through the territory of two or more communities but does not extend beyond the region’s borders. To this end, the communities have to conclude a cooperation agreement in transportation. This may involve implementing a joint infrastructure project or establishing a joint governing body.

Communities will be required to notify the regional state administration of any such agreement. If no cooperation agreement exists, the organisation of such transport services will, as before, be the responsibility of the regional state administration.

The explanatory note to the Draft Law states that the changes are intended to remove legal uncertainty in the delineation of powers between communities and regional state administrations.

It is expected that cooperation between communities will help to better coordinate decisions on the transport network and take residents’ needs into account when planning routes.