Kyiv transport app is transformed into life-saving war information tool

Before the war, it was the official city app to buy tickets for transport and pay for parking or utility bills in the Ukrainian capital.

Now Kyiv Digital has been transformed into a life-saving tool that warns of air raids, and directs people to the nearest bomb shelter or garage with petrol supplies.

It has already issued thousands of warnings and alerts, shared maps of bomb shelters, disseminated information on how to support the army and provided links to official sources of information.

According to a spokesperson for CDTO the app now has 1.5 million users and is one of the top free applications in the Ukrainian app store.

The Metro is running on one track every 90 minutes while the opposite platform has stationed carriages for people to wait, sit or sleep.

As part of the digital war support, the government has also beefed up wifi access across the city, providing internet links to more than 200 bomb shelters to maintain emergency information links and allow people to keep in touch with relatives.

But for many other Kyivans, the app has become essential, not least because it includes a map of working petrol stations. With public transport severely limited, and many petrol stations closed, drivers without the app can face long queues or lengthy searches for fuel.