Travellers using long-distance buses between Ukraine and Poland need to change habits: from 20 September 2026 the busy Shehyni–Medyka post no longer processes coach traffic, and the closure will last until at least November 2027 while Poland rebuilds approach roads and installs new e-gate facilities. The update—re-confirmed by transport portal RedRay on 23 October—affects dozens of commercial lines linking Lviv, Ternopil and Kyiv with Kraków, Rzeszów and Katowice, as well as charter operations carrying seasonal workers. Operators such as FlixBus and Ecolines have shifted departures to the larger Krakivets–Korczowa and Smilnytsia–Krościenko crossings, adding 30-40 kilometres and around one hour to journey times. The Polish Border Guard has redeployed officers accordingly, but passengers report early-morning bottlenecks as facilities adjust to higher bus volumes. Ticket-holders are advised to verify pick-up points 24 hours before travel and to allow extra time for connections to domestic rail services at Przemyśl and Rzeszów. For employers who rely on coach corridors to rotate Ukrainian staff under Poland’s simplified work-notification scheme, the detour means planning contract start dates more conservatively. HR teams should also remind workers entering on visa-free passports that travel days spent in transit still count toward the Schengen 90/180-day rule. Poland’s General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways says repairs at Medyka will widen lanes, separate car and bus traffic and prepare the post for the EU’s 2027 Entry/Exit System. Until then, buses will continue to bypass the region’s most convenient crossing.
Source: RedRay
