Lviv has completed testing the option of free transfers in the city’s public transport. Starting from Friday, 12 July, this service will be available to holders of common LeoCards.
The transfer will also apply to tickets for travelling companions. This was reported by the Department of Urban Mobility and Street Infrastructure of the Lviv City Council.
So, starting from Friday, passengers will pay for all trips in public transport registered within 40 minutes as if they were one trip – UAH 13 with a general LeoCard and UAH 6.5 with a student LeoCard.
The transfer service will also be available for beneficiaries who have a limited number of free monthly trips in public transport. For these categories of beneficiaries, all validations within this time period (40 minutes) will be counted as one.
Free transfer also applies to tickets for travelling companions if payment is made with a LeoCard – general, student, pupil or privileged card. To do this, the LeoCard holder must validate the corresponding number of additional tickets for friends in each vehicle to which a transfer is made within 40 minutes.
Please note: the transfer option does not apply to the payment for luggage transportation.
We remind you that you can transfer to trams, trolleybuses and buses of any city route. The number of physical transfers is unlimited. The main thing is to have time to change and be validated in another transport within 40 minutes. This is the average travel time for city routes from the accessed hromadas to the city centre or to a transfer hub.
“We emphasise that 40 minutes is not the duration of the entire trip with transfers, but the time during which you can transfer to another transport for free and get validated. And then continue the journey.
After the passenger has registered the first trip, the validation time in this vehicle can be checked through the validator by clicking on “Ticket information”,” explained the Department of Urban Mobility and Street Infrastructure of Lviv City Council.
Important! All transfers must be registered in each vehicle. If the trip is not validated during the transfer, it will not be considered a transfer trip. In this case, it is a separate unpaid/unvalidated trip for which the passenger may be fined.
It is important for passengers who plan to make transit trips to keep track of their LeoCard balance and have enough money on their account for validation in each vehicle. This is important because if there is no connection in the vehicle, the cost of the trip can be reserved on the balance not only for the first validation, but also for transfer tickets. The correct total amount of the write-off will be calculated by the system during the night clearing, then all validations made within 40 minutes will be counted as one trip, and the reserved funds will be unlocked.
As a reminder, free transfers will not be available to passengers paying by credit card (15 UAH/ride) or cash (20 UAH/ride).
Students and 28 other categories of beneficiaries, including combatants, people with disabilities of groups 1 and 2, use public transport in Lviv free of charge and without restrictions.
As a reminder, testing of free transfers in Lviv public transport began on 1 July. At this stage, the service was available only to students with a student LeoCard.
By the way, today 65% of passengers in Lviv public transport validate their travel with general and personalised LeoCards. Residents have purchased and issued more than 390 thousand transport cards.
All the detailed information on purchasing/issuing LeoCards, checking and replenishing the balance can be found on the website.
Test transfer in Lviv public transport: what passengers should know
1. What is a transfer journey in public transport?
This is an opportunity to change buses, trams or trolleybuses within 40 minutes at no extra charge. All transfers must be registered in each vehicle.
2. Will all passengers be able to use transfers in Lviv public transport from 12 July?
Starting from 12 July, transfers can be used by holders of general and student LeoCards. As well as old age pensioners and people with disabilities of the 3rd group who have a preferential LeoCard.
Passengers paying by credit card or in cash will not be able to transfer for free.
3. How long will it be possible to transfer free of charge in public transport in Lviv?
After the first validation, passengers have up to 40 minutes to transfer to other vehicles without additional payment. That is, the time starts from the moment of validation in the first vehicle. After that, the passenger has 40 minutes to be validated in the next vehicle. The passenger can ride in this vehicle until the required stop, i.e. another half an hour, an hour, etc.
4. 4. Is this enough time to catch the right transport?
40 minutes is the average travel time for public transport from the final stops in hromadas to a transport interchange, transfer hub or city centre.
5. Is there a limit on the number of transfers within 40 minutes?
No, the number of physical transfers is unlimited. Only time is limited – all transfers must be made no later than 40 minutes after the validation of the first trip in the first vehicle.
6. Can a passenger transfer to different types of transport and different routes?
Yes, you can transfer to trams, trolleybuses and buses of any city route. Suburban routes are not included in this list.
7. How much will a passenger pay for trips registered within 40 minutes?
For all trips made within 40 minutes, a student with his or her own LeoCard will pay as if it were one trip – only UAH 6.5. A general LeoCard holder will pay only UAH 13. Therefore, with a city transport card, a passenger will significantly save money.
8. How will funds be deducted from LeoCard for transfer trips?
The system will summarise information about all the trips for the day at night. And if a passenger has time to change public transport within 40 minutes, the account will be charged as if it were one trip – only UAH 6.5 with a student LeoCard and UAH 13 with a general transport card. The current LeoCard balance will be displayed the next day.
9. Will there be a transfer service for beneficiaries who have a certain number of free trips in public transport?
Yes. For old-age pensioners and people with disabilities of group 3 who have 60 free rides per month, all validations within 40 minutes will be counted as one.
10. Do students and privileged persons who do not have restrictions on free travel in public transport in Lviv need to register their transfers?
Students and 28 other categories of beneficiaries, including combatants, people with disabilities of groups I and II, continue to use public transport in Lviv free of charge and without restrictions. Accordingly, the transfer option is simply irrelevant for them. However, they must register all their trips on public transport.
11. Does the free transfer apply to tickets for travelling companions?
Free transfer also applies to tickets for travelling companions if the payment is made with a LeoCard – general, student, pupil or privileged card. To do this, the LeoCard holder must validate the corresponding number of additional tickets for friends in each vehicle to which the transfer is made within 40 minutes. The cost of one additional ticket is UAH 13.
12. Does the transfer cover baggage that the passenger paid for in the first vehicle?
No. You will have to pay for baggage separately during each transfer – UAH 13 by bank transfer and UAH 20 in cash for any passenger. The baggage allowance does not apply.
13. Why do I have to validate all interchange trips?
You need to validate the journey in each vehicle. If the journey is not validated in another vehicle, it will not be considered a transfer journey. In this case, it is a separate unpaid trip for which the passenger may be fined.
14. How should a passenger planning a transfer record the start of the journey in the first vehicle?
On the validator’s clock during the first validation. After the first validation, you can see the time of the trip in this vehicle in the validator menu in the Ticket information section.
15. Will the transfer trip be registered if there is not enough money on the LeoCard account?
If the LeoCard transport card has a negative balance, the card will be blocked and it will not be possible to validate it in the second vehicle. Therefore, it is important that passengers who plan to make a transfer take care of a sufficient balance on their transport card in advance.
If a passenger needs to receive detailed information about the trips made, he or she should contact the Passenger Service Centre (10 Gorbachevskoho St., Lviv, Ukraine) by calling the hotline – 0800 303 007.