Improving the Efficiency of Providing Public Transport Services in the EU and Ukraine

Analysis of the current state of socially significant services in the Ukrainian transportation area allows us to conclude that modern approaches to the formation and implementation of public policy in the social services area in the transport sector can not be called systematic, effective, and efficient given the lack of mechanisms for effective interaction of the system of providing socially significant services in the transport area, minimizing conflicts of interest of legal entities regarding the provision of such services, clear delineation of powers between public authorities and local governments, including in terms of territorial reform, stimulating the development of socially significant transport market services in the context of decentralization of power in Ukraine.

Ensuring the balance of social interests of every citizen and society as a whole, accompanied by the economic aspect of the realization of guaranteed rights and coordinated structural changes based on the achievements of the European community, will enable Ukraine to integrate its transport system into a single European space, to create foundations for the functioning of a real civil society, to ensure stable economic development of the country and to improve the provision of public transport services.

The generalization of the experience of providing socially significant transport services in the EU Member States made it possible to determine that the paradigmatic basis for reforming the system of such services in the EU countries in the growing trend of decentralization of public administration was the recognition of the importance of effective social and transport management. This development should be based on changing the vector of public policy formation, updating its institutional framework, changing the role and functions of institutions at the level of central and local authorities and local governments; development of mechanisms of market pricing for transport services and formation of new schemes of their financing and targeted payment; introduction of pilot projects of testing and evaluation of the most acceptable models for socially significant services in the transportation area; improving the regulatory framework; strengthening the responsibility of their providers; introduction of minimum quality standards for the provision of such services, the introduction of an independent system of control and guarantees of the quality of services provided.