ISSN 1648-2603 (print) VIEŠOJI POLITIKA IR ADMINISTRAVIMAS ISSN 2029-2872 (online) PUBLIC POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION 2020, T. 19, Nr. 4 / 2020, Vol. 19, No 4, p. 129–141. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION OF MUNICIPAL TRANSPORT IN THE CAPITAL OF UKRAINE BASED ON THE CLIENT-ORIENTED PARADIGM Sergii Prylipko National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine Heroiv Oborony Str. 15, 03041 Kyiv, Ukraine Nataliia Vasylieva, Davyd Shatirishvili, Oleksandra Vasylieva National Academy for Public Administration under the President of Ukraine Ezhena Pottier Str. 20, 03057 Kyiv, Ukraine DOI: 10.13165/VPA-20-19-4-09 Abstract. In the sphere of the functionality of municipal transport in the capital city of Ukraine, many problems have been identified relating to the inadequate level of service provided to residents. Mostly, these issues relate to the timetables and intervals of mu- nicipal transport, the comfort and safety levels of transportation, the establishment of con- tactless means of payment, the arrangement of various types of vehicles and stops for the unimpeded movement of people with disabilities, ensuring gender equality, and the envi- ronmental friendliness of these services. It is concluded that, in order to improve the quality of services in the sphere of the functionality of municipal transport, a client-oriented public administration paradigm should be undertaken on the basis of the coordinated activity of public authorities, transport enterprises, and consumers, taking into account the results of the evaluation of service quality and satisfaction levels. Keywords: public administration, public authorities, service, municipal transport, cli- ent orientation, gender approach, paradigm, sustainable development. Reikšminiai žodžiai: viešasis administravimas, valdžios institucijos, paslaugos, vieša- sis transportas, orientacija į klientą, lyčių požiūris, paradigma, darnus vystymasis. 130 S. Prylipko, N. Vasylieva, D. Shatirishvili, O. Vasylieva. Public Administration of Municipal... Introduction One of the indicators of the successful development of the modern capital city is the efficiency of the functioning of different types of public transport. At present, in the capital of Ukraine—Kyiv—the problem of the inadequate quality of transport services has be- come more urgent for citizens. This inadequate quality leads to a number of issues, which include: increased time spent on transportation; non-observance of the timetables and in- tervals on the routes; safety and comfort of transportation; reduced environmental friend- liness of the services; imperfect arrangement of stops; and a reduced level of passenger ser- vice culture in the staff of the carriers. For people with disabilities, the problem of barrier- free movement within the city is not fully resolved. For the most part, the provision of pas- senger transportation services is based on a gender-neutral model, since it does not involve a gender audit and does not separately take into account the needs of men and women, young people and people of retirement age, etc. Taking into account the Sustainable De- velopment Goals, the issue of ensuring environmental safety and focusing greater efforts of the municipal authorities towards the development of environmentally friendly public transport, especially land-based electric vehicles (trolleybuses, trams), remains relevant. In order to increase their competitiveness among other modes of public transport and to increase the interest of passengers in using them for travel within the city, it is necessary to improve the quality of these services on different routes and to take measures to improve them. The lack of constant monitoring of the quality of passenger service by the municipal authorities impedes the implementation of reforms in the field of public transport, which in turn influences the further sustainable development of the capital city. Modern public administration requires public authorities to apply different methodological approaches and mechanisms for formulating and implementing service policies. The client-oriented public transport administration paradigm for the provision of public transport services involves the adoption of effective management decisions by public authorities in the de- velopment of local targets, budgets, and projects. This is accomplished on the basis of the continuous monitoring of the quality of passenger transportation services, the analysis of information directly from consumers, and the involvement of their needs and proposals. Theoretical framework In the field of urban passenger transportation in the cities of Ukraine—in the capital in particular —a new system for the provision of services has not yet been formed that is adequate for functioning in the current market conditions. In their activities, local au- thorities and transport undertakings place greater emphasis on finding a balance between the social need for non-profit transportation and the economic viability of the transport operators of all forms of ownership than on improving the quality of customer service (Ludchenko and Tretiakov 2011). The development of the transport infrastructure and the improvement of the quality of service are related both to improving the standard of living of the population and to achieving the goals of sustainable development (Doro- fejeva 2016). Meeting the Global Sustainable Development Goals involves a number of Viešoji politika ir administravimas. 2020, T. 19, Nr. 4, p. 129 –141 131 activities aimed at, inter alia, ensuring environmental safety, achieving gender equality and inclusive accessibility, implementing innovation, and increasing investment in public transport (UNDP Ukraine 2016). Due to the emission of harmful substances, vehicles remain one of the means of negative environmental impact. The widespread use of road transport leads to problems of urban air pollution, so a paradigm shift in transport policy would be appropriate in seeking to change this situation. One of the most important fac- tors of this approach will be to formulate a city-wide public transport strategy (Kunst 2016). Many countries are currently investing heavily in metropolitan public transit sys- tems to increase their level of comfort, environmental friendliness, and competitiveness compared to private vehicles. Administrative and market-based methods are used to increase the demand for public transport services among the population (Ramos et al. 2019). Promoting the use of municipal transport, including electric systems, is one of the strategic goals for the implementation of the European Union’s transport policy. This is firstly due to the emphasis placed on public authorities to: reduce the level of air pollution due to pollutant emissions from the use of diesel fuel by private vehicles; reduce fuel con- sumption and EU dependence on crude oil imports; reduce congestion and minimizse congestion in urban centres; improve accident statistics; facilitate the construction of in- frastructure; optimizse high-speed traffic; improve traffic safety, etc. (Poliak et al. 2017). The policies pursued by public authorities have traditionally been gender-neutral, as they apply the same tools to all members of society. Therefore, when developing and implementing management decisions (programs and projects), it is appropriate to apply a gender approach to improve the quality of delivery of public services. The re- form of public services aims to improve the allocation of available resources in line with the priorities of the state and the development of the territory in the medium and long term, taking into account gender-specific needs (The Cabinet of Ministers 2017). A special place is given to the mobility of the elderly through the use of municipal trans- port services (Aguiar and Macário 2017), and a gender audit is appropriate (The Gen- der Audit Handbook 2010; Wittbom 2011; Ege 2015). According to a World Bank study (2010), gender inequality may be affected by the construction of vehicles that do not take into account the particularities of the transportation of certain categories of the popula- tion (women with children; elderly or disabled individuals) on municipal transport routes. For the first time, the concept of the “client-oriented approach” was used in the 1990s due to the establishment of individual relationships between a company and each client. The conceptual model of the focus of the service on the consumer is based on the prin- ciple that “the consumer pays for the pleasure, not the purchase of the product or service” (Drucker 1998). The service of the state implies the transparency and openness of admin- istrative activity, the priority of service provision, sensitivity to citizens’ requests, and the involvement of non-governmental organisations (Ciecierski et al. 2016). The develop- ment of services should be built on the classic “producer of services–consumer” basis, and depends on the timely and qualitative identification of individual and group interests and the consideration of the needs of residents of territorial communities (Yevsiukova 2016). Client-oriented public administration is “a powerful influence on the life of people by the public authorities, based on a deep study of the existing and emerging needs of the 132 S. Prylipko, N. Vasylieva, D. Shatirishvili, O. Vasylieva. Public Administration of Municipal... clients through the introduction of new modern concepts of relationship management, as well as additional services and services that enhance their competitiveness and value