Kyiv's river boats to carry under 2,000 daily passengers, far below metro capacity

Kyiv's planned river boat routes are projected to carry fewer than 2,000 daily passenger trips, a symbolic figure compared to the 1.4 million daily crossings of the Dnipro River by public transport in 2015. The pilot route could launch in spring 2027 if preparation begins immediately. Transport modeling conducted in 2019 and 2020 estimated about 870 daily trips for the Poshtova Ploshcha–Rusanivska Naberezhna route and 950 for Poshtova Ploshcha–Berezniaky. Demand depends on housing and job locations near piers, not just boat capacity. Experts say boats cannot replace bridges, as a 150-seat vessel running every 15 minutes moves only 600 people per hour versus 10,000–15,000 passengers per hour on Metro bridge trains. Water transport is seen as a supplementary option, while two pontoon bridges could be installed in three to four months.