Hromadas in Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Chernihiv oblasts have received 16 specialised vehicles for the transportation of people with reduced mobility. The establishment of the social taxi service will help remove barriers and create an inclusive environment for all hromadas’ members.

The handover ceremony took place on July 09 in Kyiv with the participation of representatives from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ukraine, the EU Delegation to Ukraine as well as representatives of GIZ and local hromadas.

The number of veterans and civilians injured in the war is growing in Ukraine, thereby creating a barrier-free environment is a crucial task for local hromadas and the Ukrainian state in general.

«The social taxi» service is aimed at residents of hromadas who cannot use public transportation for health reasons, as well as the elderly. This vehicle will help them access the state institutions, municipal and medical facilities, and other places to receive the necessary assistance and services.

The handover of the specialised vehicles marks the final stage of the comprehensive support for hromadas in establishing the social taxi service. This support included analysing the needs of various citizens categories, developing service regulations, and algorithms for providing the service and facilitating future scaling efforts. 

«The social taxi project is tailored to the specific needs of vulnerable Ukrainian citizens in the partner communities near the frontline. We hope that it will contribute to citizens’ ability to better cope with the hardships caused by the war. The more resilient Ukraine’s population, the better it will be able to withstand Russia’s aggression, recover from it and rebuild», said Martin Breitmaier, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ukraine.

Specialised vehicles can also be used for evacuation of people with disabilities. 

«Our hromada is situated very close to the front line. It is only 10-15 kilometres far from the occupied territory of Kherson oblast across the Dnipro River. The enemy has been shelling one steppe village of our hromada for the last six days. Thanks to the fact that we received a specialised vehicle in early June and used it to both provide the social taxi service and evacuate people, this vehicle has already saved lives of nearly 100 hromada’s residents. I am grateful to our partners for this», said Andriy Seletskyi, Head of Novovorontsovka Settlement Military Administration in Kherson oblast.

The vehicles were purchased within the Special Assistance Programme Ukraine / EU4ResilientRegions implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH with funding from the German Government and the European Union.

"The handover of "social taxis" is part of the EU-GIZ long-term programme with local hromadas to strengthen their potential to respond and recover from the shocks of the war. It is fully in line with our broader goal of promoting social inclusion and equal opportunities for all. These vehicles will help improve access to key public services for people with reduced mobility or living in remote areas", said Stefan Schleuning, Head of Cooperation Programs at the EU Delegation to Ukraine.

A total of 31 specialised vehicles have been purchased for hromadas in 9 regions of Ukraine, of which 16 were handed over to hromadas during an official ceremony in Kyiv, and the rest will be distributed by the end of July 2024. 29 vehicles were purchased with funds of the German Government, and 2 were financed by the EU