Ukrposhta is removing a surcharge that de facto made rural delivery more expensive than urban delivery. From July 1, the 45-hryvnia fee for mobile branches disappears — but only where the company already has a physical presence.
What exactly is changing
Ukrposhta's CEO Igor Smilyansky announced that delivery to settlements where there is a branch or an office in the village council will cost the same as in the city. Delivery to Ukrposhta parcel lockers will also be without surcharges.
«Now quickly, without surcharges — both to the village and to the parcel locker»
Igor Smilyansky, CEO of Ukrposhta, Telegram
At the same time, the company is increasing the tariff for courier delivery by 5 hryvnias. Smilyansky explains this by fuel price increases. According to Ukrposhta itself, fuel expenses amount to approximately 40 million hryvnias per month — and this is one of the main factors in the company's tariff decisions in recent months.
Where the new rule applies
The key condition is the presence of a «point of presence». Ukrposhta's mobile branch serves villages with populations of up to 1,200 residents, which stationary branches cannot reach. However, the mobile branch reform was accompanied by mass layoffs of postal workers: some villages received a bus instead of a permanent employee, and some mobile branches do not reach certain areas due to poor roads or operate only a few hours per week.
In other words, the removal of the surcharge applies to those already integrated into the network. For the rest — the most remote and smallest communities — conditions remain unchanged.
Tariff balance
- Delivery to a village via mobile branch: −45 hryvnias surcharge
- Delivery to Ukrposhta parcel locker: no surcharges
- Courier delivery: +5 hryvnias
This is not the first tariff adjustment this year: from April 1, Ukrposhta already raised prices on some parcels, particularly priority shipments and large packages — also citing fuel and infrastructure costs.
If mobile branches indeed start reaching destinations more consistently — removing the surcharge will have a practical effect for millions of rural residents. If not, the change will remain a tariff change on paper: the surcharge disappears, but access does not.
