Free transportation is being introduced in Odesa, but there is a nuance

The Odesa City Military Administration proposed to introduce free transportation for schoolchildren in the city's electric transport, but this raised questions about whether it was economically feasible.

So who will travel in Odesa for free, whether they will travel at all, and whether this will affect the city's transportation, Accent found out.

According to Anatoliy Boyko, head of the Odesa regional organization of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine, the initiative looks more like pre-election populism than a real moderate initiative.

"The initiative appeared suddenly. I haven't heard any justification or figures. Why is this necessary? In addition, there are no calculations - how many schoolchildren in our country use electric transport? It seems that most children who live in residential areas walk to school more often. Those who go to school somewhere else are either driven by their parents or use minibuses. I'm not against taking care of children, but the city council's decisions must be justified. They should be based on numbers and indicators. They should have specific goals related to strategies and city programs," Anatoliy Boyko believes.

In contrast, MP Oleksiy Asaulenko believes that the decision is good because it encourages students to use electric transport rather than minibuses, which, in his opinion, are more dangerous. However, he noted that it is the partial introduction of free transportation that makes sense, because Odesa has had experience with free transportation in general, and it turned out to be bad for the city's electric transport. That is why, according to the deputy, it was decided to make fare free not for everyone.

Кирило Бойко