UNDP Eurasia 115d ago

“People go to work, to the hospital, to visit family — and someone has to drive them.” Tetiana has been driving Kharkiv’s trolleybuses for more than 30 years. On 24 February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion, she heard the first explosions from behind the wheel — and still finished her shift. Kharkiv is a frontline city. Air-raid sirens are part of daily life. Power shortages and an unstable grid can disrupt electric transport without warning. Yet the city must keep moving — and public transport remains a vital lifeline. To help maintain service continuity, UNDP, with financial support from the Government of Japan, supported bus driver training and requalification. This enables drivers to switch from trolleybuses and trams to buses when electric transport is suspended, so routes can keep operating even during outages. So far, 64 drivers have completed the training and are now employed at Trolleybus Depot No.2 in Kharkiv, with four more groups currently learning. Video: UNDP in Ukraine / Nazarii Mazyliuk