Deregulation and simplification of conditions for bus drivers, introduction of transparent market mechanisms and electronic services, where corruption and lawlessness have always prevailed are our steps to create a new quality of service for the consumer and a new reality for business. Volodymyr Omelyan, the Minister of Infrastructure, said the above during a joint press conference with Slawomir Nowak, the Head of Ukravtodor and Viktor Sasin, Director of the Department for Strategic Development of the Road Market and Road Transport of the Ministry of Infrastructure.

Volodymyr Omelyan stressed: “It is very important to spend the record funding for the restoration of Ukrainian roads, which is about UAH 50 billion this year, transparently, without corruption, with a competent approach. We hope that all the systems we have included- CoST and FIDIC quality control, transparent reporting, will work and Ukraine will receive new road quality. For us, it is a principle, in time of Russian Federation aggression, to spend money, allocated by the state, on Ukrainian roads and not on the local banks accounts. We will talk about this in the near future with the region authorities. We emphasize that if we see that money is not used, we will initiate to Verkhovna Rada to return this money to the Road Fund after the expiration of the two-year term for their use.”

Slawomir Nowak, the Head of Ukravtodor, noted the positive dynamics of the preparation to the large-scale renewal of Ukrainian roads in 2018 - the availability of the necessary project documentation, tendering, that will allow starting the roads works from March.

Volodymyr Omelyan, the Minister of Infrastructure also emphasized the importance of using the latest construction technologies, in particular concrete roads: “Concrete roads were the main topic this week during a meeting with the Prime Minister and during a meeting with our American counterparts. I believe that in March we will make the final decision on the application of all norms and standards that are inherent in the European Union and the United States, so that we go to proven technologies, modern options to solve the problems we have in road construction”.

Volodymyr Omelyan announced transfer to the IT - sphere a number of services that traditionally complicated state - business relationship:

 “Bilateral license for international road cargo transportation have been always the subject of complaints, corruption and resales on the black market. In the first half of this year, an on-line system for issuing such permits will be launched. Each license will have a protected QR code. We will be able to track it online: where it is, whether it crossed the boundary, what happens with it. We also launched the test – version of online routes register. This will help to plan logistics within the country and introduce a single ticket for bus-rail-aircraft, and will allow the carrier to track the movement of his transport, to prepare his business plan for the further work. We implement an e-cabinet that will allow to confirm the license or route of any carrier within the Ukraine in online - mode. In the e - cabinet, the electronic fines system will also operate for each carrier. Why is this important? Not only the carrier will understand why is he fined, but any inspector of the transport inspection, having decided to fine the carrier, enters his e-cabinet and any manipulation will be impossible. All these things are implemented on the blockchain”.

Viktor Sasin, Director of the Department for Strategic Development of the Road Market and Road Transport of the Ministry of Infrastructure, described in detail about: deregulation conditions for bus carriers; introduction of competition for interregional bus routes on an application basis; requirements for obligatory presence of buses adapted for disabled people on urban and suburban routes; advantages of the competition for carriers offering low-floor buses, electric buses, buses with a higher emission standard (Euro 3-Euro 6), etc.