Odesa announces full inspection of all city carriers

A regular staff meeting was held in Odesa with the participation of acting Mayor IgorKoval and MVA head Serhiy Lysak. One of the key announcements was the start of a full inspection of all city carriers, which could mean serious changes in the city's transportation market.

According to Odesa-based journalist Iryna Hryb, the inspection may concern companies that have been effectively monopolizing certain routes for a long time. According to her, this is a signal of a change in the balance of power in Odesa's transport sector, where previously influential figures controlled the operation of minibuses and the collection of funds from various areas, including advertising, parking, and private transportation.

The journalist wrote about the redistribution of the transportation market back in January 2024. Back then, conflicts broke out on some routes. In particular, the Stars Trans company, which serves a number of routes, experienced a blockade: at the final stop #149, a group of people blocked the buses from leaving.

Drivers and dispatchers received offers to switch to other companies, including Avtotrans Ukraine and Trans Yug. During the blockade, five units of equipment were sent to the routes of these companies, effectively replacing Stars Trans. Similar actions were recorded on other routes operated by the same company.

In addition, new companies entered the city and international routes: AS-TRANS Yug LLC operates routes 16, 149, 263, and 288, and NIKA PE operates routes 6, 145, 190, 191, 233, and 237. Sources in the transportation sector told her that these events were organized by Vitaliy Barvinenko, who previously oversaw a number of areas in the city and is Gennadiy Trukhanov's right-hand man. Alexei Morozov, who previously supervised illegal carriers and was involved in conflict situations on city routes in 2016-2017, was also involved in the process.

The journalist emphasized that the conflicts are accompanied by pressure on drivers and dispatchers, blocking of equipment and attempts to transfer buses to other companies. Barvinenko has previously been involved in actions that jeopardized the work of OGET in favor of private carriers, and Morozov may still be influencing the situation.

Recently, the BES detectives, together with the SBU, conducted searches at the former advisor to the former mayor of Odesa, Oleksiy Morozov. Law enforcement officials clarified that the investigative actions took place within the framework of criminal proceedings opened over possible tax evasion. The company in question is Odespasservis LLC, which from January 1, 2023, to August 2025, did not pay taxes on transportation carried out at the Starosinnaya bus station. According to Hryb, the company's debt exceeded UAH 65 million.

Анна Бальчінос