Ukrainians would love to use public transportation without having to stand in line for tickets, buy them at reasonable prices, and have comfortable trips. Reasonable prices are out of the question as all prices are soaring, yet the Ministry of Transportation and Communications of Ukraine (Mintrans) promises a better rail service in the nearest future. The Mintrans has worked out a concept of a computer-aided system known as the Uniform Electronic Ticket - in other words, a ticket with which you can use all kinds of transport.
The qualifier “uniform” means that it allows you to board a train, a bus, etc., anywhere, anytime. “Electronic” means that you will buy tickets online rather than purchase paper tickets, as is the case today. Previously the idea was to introduce e-tickets only for railroads, but the ministry has now set its sights on Ukraine’s entire intercity transport network, including trains, buses, and planes.
Passengers are supposed to benefit from e-tickets in that they will help choose the optimal route using several different kinds of transport and a universal computerized system. Passengers will be able to order e-tickets for all kinds of transport from point A to point B, even if there is no direct connection between them. Another claimed advantage is cheaper fares, considering that you will be able to pay for e-tickets at any Ukrposhta post office.
Passenger carriers are also expected to benefit from this innovation. “Optimizing traffic flows is one of the major advantages of this system. The Mintrans will have a full picture of the passenger turnover online. Data will be fed into a single computer center and we will assign vehicles to routes in an effective manner. There will be no chaos-like when in one village people are jammed in a makeshift fixed route taxi while a big bus with only a couple of passengers departs from another village,” says Yosyp Vinsky, Minister of Transportation and Communications of Ukraine.
This is an ideal picture of the new e-ticket system - provided it works smoothly. However, the current Ukrainian system of transportation, afflicted with a number of chronic diseases, is a far cry from this ideal. Years will pass before all schedules are harmonized and the computerized system is fine-tuned. Vinsky assures that his ministry is aware of all hardships. Moreover, they are going to ask the media and the public to support their grandiose plans. They will have to overcome resistance from passenger carriers and representatives of the service sector, who use corruption schemes to launder up to 70 billion hryvnias a year, according to the Mintrans.
“The carriers should benefit from the e-ticket and cancellation of the ticket-window system; at present, they receive payments for their services several days after providing them and in the future they will get the money practically in an online mode,” says Vinsky. Those who fail to see the advantage of the computerized system and will oppose the ministry’s intentions will suffer tougher licensing procedures.
Even now passenger carriers see the launch of the uniform e-ticket system as the ministry’s attempt to take over the industry’s bookkeeping. They promise to demand from the Mintrans to publicly substantiate all norms envisaged by this innovation. However, it is still a long way to verbal battles, although they are sure to ensue from an attempt to launch the uniform e-ticket.
The first e-ticket office is scheduled to be opened by the end of the year. In 2009 e-tickets will be made available for trains and air flights and after that — for buses. Eventually, separate computer-based systems will be merged into one that will be linked to the Internet, and then it will be quite a while before this system is finally fine-tuned.
Incidentally, just starting the project will require at least 20 million hryvnias, even despite using the already equipped post offices. Needless to say, the industry does not have money to spare, especially during the ongoing crisis. In other words, it is safe to assume that e-tickets will be available not earlier than 2012. Until then passengers can only dream of this convenience.
