The MAN A39 double-decker city bus, which Kyiv received as a gift from its sister city of Berlin, will first go on the route in test mode this coming weekend, October 25 and 26. It will run on route No. 57 “Avtorynok – Akademmistechko metro station” from 9:43 to 18:53. This was reported by the Kyiv City State Administration.
“The bus is equipped with 83 seats: 28 on the first floor and 55 on the second. In addition, 45 seats are provided for standing passengers exclusively on the first floor. The bus meets the principles of barrier-free access: it has a low floor, 2 places for people in wheelchairs, a place for a baby stroller and 2 ramps. The bus interior is equipped with panoramic windows, an air conditioning system, USB ports for charging gadgets, an automatic fare payment system, a loudspeaker system for announcing the route and stops on both floors, the message says.
Route No. 57 is 24.41 km long, and the one-way travel time is 60–62 minutes. In normal mode, five buses operate on it with a travel interval of 20 to 40 minutes. The route runs along the Ring Road and Akademika Zabolotnogo Street.
Kyiv received four double-decker buses from Berlin back in December 2022 as part of humanitarian aid. They were transferred to the balance of the KP “Kyivpastrans”, but have not been used yet. Other, single-decker buses that Ukraine received from various cities in Germany have been operating in the capital for a long time.
In the entire history of bus service, Kyiv has not had experience using double-decker vehicles on regular city routes, preferring three-axle two-section buses. At the same time, before the start of a full-scale war, double-decker tourist buses of private carriers operated in the city.
