Group travel
Group carriage is not arranged the way an ordinary ticket is: first a reservation on written application, then the purchase. We do not offer this online - one rail.ua order holds up to 6 seats. The application goes to the carrier. Here is how it works.
The application to reserve
The application is made once: in writing to the specialised window of a point of sale, through electronic self-service channels, or to the email address on the carrier's official site.
From a legal entity the application is signed by its head. It states the full name, the registered address, the email addresses and telephone numbers of the people responsible, the bank details, the date of departure, the preferred train number, the size of the group, the class of seats, the stations of departure and destination, and the point of sale where the seats will be bought.
From a natural person - the group leader - it states the passport details: surname, first name and patronymic, series and number of the document, date of issue and issuing authority.
If the conditions change - a different class of carriage, or a larger group - the difference in price and the reservation charge are paid on top.
How long the carrier takes to answer
| When the application was made | Processing time |
|---|---|
| No later than 15 days before advance sales open | up to 10 days |
| Less than 14 days before sales open, but no later than 15 days before departure | up to 10 days, if seats and technical capacity allow |
| 14 to 7 days before departure | up to 5 days, if technical capacity allows |
| In other cases | as the carrier decides |
Reserved seats must be bought within 6 days of the carrier's notice. Seats not bought go into general sale, the order is cancelled, and the reservation charge is not returned.
If the carrier did not fulfil the order or did not keep to the terms of the application, and you give up the journey because of it, the reservation charge is returned in full.
During periods of heavy traffic and on public holidays the carrier may put on an additional or special train for a group.
The group list
Travel is arranged against a list of participants certified by the signature of the organiser's representative and by a seal where one exists. The list states the group leader's details, the surnames and first names of the passengers, and for concession holders additionally the number of the certificate and the type of concession; for children, the day, month and year of birth.
Lists drawn up at a ticket office are certified with the office stamp showing the date, the time, and the cashier's surname and signature. Lists drawn up through electronic channels are printed out or kept electronically and produced at boarding.
The list or the group leader may be changed once, no later than 3 hours before the train departs.
Concession passengers within a group are issued separate tickets stating the surname, the concession code and the number of the group ticket.
Organised groups of children
An application to carry a group of children aged 6 to 18 is certified by the signature of the head of the educational establishment the participants attend, the head of the education department, or the head of the body organising the journey.
Reservation and booking for groups of children is generally done as a return journey at once, including from transfer points. The booking office notifies the stations of boarding, alighting and transfer; the station manager and the train manager must supervise the children boarding and alighting.
For the summer holidays, applications are made by 15 April of the current year, with confirmation 40 to 45 days before departure. Applications after 15 April are met subject to seats being available.
Enquiries go to the station administrator, or at smaller stations to the station duty officer. UZ publishes the procedure separately.
Refunds on a group ticket
If fewer people travel than the ticket covers, the group leader must present the group ticket to the station manager before the journey begins, so that it can be endorsed and the free seats returned to sale. After the train has left this is no longer possible, and no money is returned for the distance not travelled.
Money goes back to the account of the legal or natural person who bought the tickets, within 30 days of the application. Details are in Refunds and exchanges under the rules.
If the group travels in a carriage of its own
A special carriage or train ordered is paid for by the actual number of seats in it. Travel on free and concession tickets in such a carriage is possible only if 80% of the seats have been paid for with full or child's tickets.