How Obukhov carrier Lukyanenko “privatized” suburban routes and budget compensation

Left self-employed drivers to the mercy of fate and “squeezed out” all the routes from them? In the Kyiv region, the company Obukhovtrans LLC, headed by local ex-deputy Alexander Lukyanenko, receives millions in compensation from the budget for transporting privileged categories of the population and has actually become a monopolist in the market of urban, as well as suburban and intercity bus routes.

The contractors with whom Lukyanenko entered into contracts during the pandemic, according to one of them, were left with nothing but personally broken deals and loans for buses. According to our interlocutor, the number of such drivers can reach thirty.

After the publication of the resonant material “Tariffs are astronomical, and salaries are minimal: Obukhov monopolist carrier Lukyanenko can lead the community? " ". They said that the carrier, which openly boasted of influential connections at the highest levels of local and state government, actually left them without work and took over all the suburban routes of Obukhov.

How did the scheme work?

In 2018-2019, Obukhovtrans LLC, represented by Alexander Lukyanenko, entered into agreements for the provision of services with several dozen carriers-individual entrepreneurs. Subsequently, as one of the drivers reported on condition of anonymity, amid the flood pandemic, he allegedly encouraged entrepreneurs to purchase buses on credit instead of “buses” for suburban transportation.

Also, Obukhovtrans, represented by representative Evgeniy Aleksandrovich Lukyanenko (probably Alexander Lukyanenko’s own son), entered into vehicle rental agreements with them. It should be noted that in the rental agreements the cost of buses was allegedly deliberately underestimated, and the monthly rental price does not correspond to market realities. According to these agreements, the company is obliged to pay both lessors and taxes, but does not do this in full.

According to the drivers, Obukhovtrans LLC did not pay rent on time, and the transactions contained a number of “draconian” clauses. In particular, technical supervision of vehicles should have passed exclusively in the testing laboratory of the private enterprise “Testing Center for Technical Diagnostics” at a specific technical control point (which, by a strange coincidence, was headed by Lukyanenko himself), and insurance contracts for drivers should be concluded only with a certain, chosen Lukyanenko insurance company.

However, that's not all. As follows from the official response of the executive committee of the Obukhov City Council, during this period Obukhovtrans LLC received millions in compensation from the city budget for transporting privileged categories of citizens, but self-employed drivers were not paid a single hryvnia, although they also transported “beneficiaries” and filed for it information

But this, obviously, was not enough for Lukyanenko. And in the summer of 2020, he unilaterally breaks contracts with drivers. At the same time, the buses remain “rented” to him, Obukhovtrans LLC becomes a virtual monopolist in the local market of city, as well as suburban and intercity bus routes, and about 30 people actually end up on the street - without work or compensation, but with loans for transport means.

Drivers driven to despair, they said, turned to the now deceased mayor of Obukhov, Alexander Levchenko. However, the mayor of the Office told them that the city council knew about the situation, but could not do anything because of Lukyanenko’s influential connections. In addition, individual entrepreneurs turned to Ukrtransbezopasnost with a request to conduct an unscheduled inspection of Obukhovtrans LLC. And they received a standard response similar to an “unsubscribe” indicating the grounds provided for by law for conducting an inspection outside the plan.

So, after 4 years, the problem faced by drivers is still not resolved. And Obukhovtrans LLC continues to dominate the local market under the roof of Alexander Lukyanenko, who claims that he allegedly has high patrons on Bankova.

Currently, his company serves 12 urban, 16 suburban and 9 intercity routes, actively participates in procurement and systematically wins tenders for the provision of transport services for passenger transportation from the Obukhov Regional State Administration of the Kyiv region.

And all this despite the fact that, let us recall, Lukyanenko’s company is involved in several criminal proceedings. We are talking in particular about possible tax evasion. In addition, being a de facto monopolist in the Obukhov society, Alexander Lukyanenko sets astronomical fares for travel that are not economically justified, which leads to the indignation of passengers. Local residents also said that Obukhovtrans LLC does not provide transportation for privileged categories of the population in accordance with the law.

Lukyanenko himself, according to representatives of the community, responds to numerous complaints, requests and appeals as if he has influential connections in the Office of the President, and he and his company ignore the essence of any oral and written complaints.