Reform of travel benefits: what changes are proposed in the legislation

The VR Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans' Rights recommended that people's deputies adopt in the second reading a draft law that provides for changing the system of payment for preferential travel, in particular by introducing cards with which a veteran or other beneficiary will be able to pay for travel in public transport. This is reported by UNN with reference to the press service of the Council.

On December 11, 2025, the Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans' Rights held another meeting via videoconference. When discussing the provisions of the draft law of Ukraine "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Regarding Travel Benefits and Certain Other Benefits" (registry No. 5651-2), the committee decided to approve the text of the comparative table to the draft law with proposals and amendments of people's deputies of Ukraine, as well as taking into account the proposals of people's deputies - members of the committee, voted at the committee meeting, and recommended that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopt it in the second reading and in general with the necessary technical and legal processing

As reported by the committee, the purpose of the draft law is to reform the existing system of implementing travel benefits. The draft law proposes to solve a number of systemic problems that exist in the field of preferential transportation, in particular:

• lack of accurate accounting of the number of beneficiaries and actual volumes of transportation;
• lack of transparency in the use of funds for compensation to carriers;
• abuse by individual carriers and violation of the rights of beneficiaries;
• lack of a legal mechanism for providing targeted financial assistance at the local level;
• conflicts between carriers and privileged categories of the population.

The right to travel on preferential terms in passenger transport will be exercised with a ticket, an electronic ticket when using a territorial automated fare accounting system, which is generated and/or used by a territorial automated fare accounting system, or a software and calculation complex when purchasing such a ticket using an electronic payment instrument issued to a current account with a special use regime opened in a bank

The right to travel on preferential terms in passenger transport will be implemented at the expense of the state budget in the manner and amounts established by the Cabinet of Ministers.

If adopted, the draft law should enter into force on July 1, 2028, and the Cabinet of Ministers will be instructed to submit draft laws within nine months from the date of its publication, which will provide for amendments to the Budget Code of Ukraine, which will allow a clear delineation of sources of financing for benefits between state and local budgets.

Additions

The said draft law was adopted as a basis in June of this year, and registered as early as 2021.

According to the document, which was adopted in the first reading, it is stipulated that persons have the right to free travel in passenger city transport if they have a certificate of the established sample, and in case of introduction of an automated fare accounting system - also an electronic ticket, which is issued free of charge by the "central executive body that ensures the formation and implementation of the relevant state policy", local self-government bodies, in the manner established by the Cabinet of Ministers.

That is, for persons with disabilities, the electronic ticket will be issued by the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, and, for example, for combatants - by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs.

Benefits will be provided in the manner and amounts determined by the Cabinet of Ministers.

Currently, the text of the comparative table for the second reading is not available on the parliament's website.

Recall

The Cabinet of Ministers is launching a 1.5-year project to provide state assistance for education to children of certain categories of persons who defended the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.