They were supposed to be handed over to Vinnytsia free of charge, but a political dispute erupted in Kielce over the aid. Then the “Sikorki na Ukrainie” Foundation and thousands of donors took action. More than PLN 624,000 was raised, and 15 buses were bought out from the city. The first three Solaris buses have already arrived in Vinnytsia. The city’s mayor Serhii Morhunov thanked the Poles: “This story showed that true partnership is based first and foremost on people”.
The story of 15 old Solaris buses from Kielce began a few months ago. The authorities of Kielce planned to transfer the buses withdrawn from service to partner city Vinnytsia free of charge. The Ukrainian city needed vehicles with diesel engines, among other reasons due to problems with energy supplies — a significant part of local transport there is based on trams and trolleybuses.
However, the donation did not happen.
A political dispute erupted over the buses
The idea of handing over 15 Solaris buses met with sharp criticism from some opposition councillors in Kielce, primarily representatives of Law and Justice. The city authorities ultimately withdrew the draft resolution from the agenda.
The dispute quickly went beyond the issue of the buses themselves.
PiS councilors also demanded that Vinnytsia change the name of Stepan Bandera Street. They argued that commemorating him is incompatible with the memory of the victims of the Volhynia massacre. However, the draft resolution on this matter did not obtain the required majority in the Kielce city council.
Vinnytsia Mayor Serhii Morhunov, seeing the scale of the dispute, withdrew his earlier request for the free transfer of the vehicles.
It seemed that this was the end of the buses story.
But it turned out otherwise.
“Politicians block, we keep going”
The Sikorki na Ukrainie Foundation launched a public fundraising campaign under the slogan:
“Buses for Vinnytsia. Politicians block, we keep going”.
The response was tremendous. In the first three days, half a million zlotys was raised. Ultimately, according to information provided by the Mayor of Vinnytsia, nearly 7,200 people took part in the fundraising, and the amount collected exceeded PLN 624,000.
The foundation then began buying the withdrawn Solaris buses at auctions organized by the Kielce Municipal Transport Authority.
The first five vehicles cost PLN 155,000. At the next successful auction, the foundation bought another five for PLN 120,000. Ultimately, it was possible to obtain all 15 buses that had been the goal from the very beginning of the campaign.
The first three are already in Vinnytsia
On September 16, the first three buses left Kielce on special transport platforms. The foundation announced at the time that all 15 vehicles should reach Vinnytsia by the end of the month. Radio Kielce
Now the first three are already there.
Before the Solaris buses hit the streets of Vinnytsia, they must undergo technical preparation. According to information provided by the Ukrainian side, it is also necessary to install equipment needed for passenger service, including validators and the Ukrainian stop-announcement system.
The remaining 12 buses are to be delivered gradually.
The buses may be particularly needed during power outages.
The fact that these are older vehicles with diesel engines may prove to be an advantage in wartime conditions.
Vinnytsia has an extensive electric transport system. In the event of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and the resulting power outages, the operation of trams and trolleybuses may be hampered.
Diesel will not solve all of the city’s transport problems, but it allows part of the transport system to be maintained independently of the overhead line network. This is exactly how the need to acquire vehicles was explained at the very beginning of the whole story.
The Mayor of Vinnytsia thanked the Poles.
After the first buses arrived, the Mayor of Vinnytsia Serhii Morhunov informed residents about the completion of the first stage of transport.
He emphasized that the money came from thousands of donors, and that the purchase of the buses was made possible thanks to the “Sikorki na Ukrainie” Foundation.
Morhunov also pointed to the many years of partnership between Vinnytsia and Kielce.
“This story has shown that true partnership is based above all on people” — wrote the Mayor of Vinnytsia.
Under his post, the “Sikorki na Ukrainie” Foundation itself responded, thanking him for mentioning the initiative. Its representatives wrote that they watched “with great emotion” the moment when the buses left the parking lot on transport platforms.
These are not the first buses from Kielce. Aid for Vinnytsia has been ongoing since 2022.
It is worth recalling that Kielce had already donated buses to Vinnytsia in 2022, a few months after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In September 2022, the mayor of Vinnytsia, Serhii Morhunov, reported that two 12-meter Solaris buses, donated at the time by partner city Kielce, had arrived in the city. The vehicles were adapted to transport people with reduced mobility and, before entering service, were to be adjusted to Ukrainian requirements.
Morhunov thanked Kielce at the time for “needed and timely help”. In the post, he also tagged the then Mayor of Kielce, Bogdan Wenta.
So the current story of 15 Solaris buses has an additional dimension. Transport cooperation between Kielce and Vinnytsia did not begin in 2026 — similar assistance successfully reached the Ukrainian city already four years earlier.
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