Starting from 2026, pensioners in Ivano-Frankivsk will lose free transportation: what will change.

According to inkorr.com: Starting January 1, 2026, pensioners in Ivano-Frankivsk will no longer have access to

free transportation in public transport

with a pension certificate. For this, it will be necessary to obtain a special card 'Halka'. The mayor Ruslan Martinkiv talked about this on the air of TRK 'Veza', as noted by

Suspilne

.

Cancellation of free transportation with a pension certificate

Free transportation with a pension certificate will be valid until the end of 2025. And from January 1, 2026, only residents of our community who have the benefit and the 'Halka' card will be able to use it in private and public transport

, explained Martinkiv. This innovation does not apply to people with state benefits, as well as pensioners from neighboring communities - Yamnytska and Ugry nivska. The mayor added that the changes are aimed at streamlining the accounting of preferential transportation and reducing the burden on the city budget.

The 'Halka' card for free transportation

The 'Halka' card is an electronic ticket that allows residents of Ivano-Frankivsk to use

public transport

for free, if they belong to the privileged categories. It can be obtained at special centers or on the official website of the program.

Those entitled to obtain the 'Halka' card are:

• pensioners;
• participants in hostilities;
• persons with disabilities;
• family members of deceased or missing servicemen;
• liquidators of the Chernobyl disaster and their families;
• employees of communal enterprises.

This initiative is part of a plan to transition to a fully electronic payment system for transportation in Ivano-Frankivsk. The city council believes that this will allow for more accurate control of benefits, reduce abuses, and increase the transparency of settlements with carriers.

 

These changes in the transportation policy of Ivano-Frankivsk reflect the aspirations of the city authorities to optimize the system of preferential transportation and reduce the financial burden on the local budget. The introduction of the 'Halka' card promises to improve the accounting of benefits and ensure greater transparency in the processes of service provision. Residents should pay attention to the new rules to avoid losing the opportunity to use free transportation in the future.