Nearly 5,000 regional bus trips may be cancelled on September 16

Latvia's Road Transport Directorate (ATD) has warned that a protest organized by the Passenger Carriers Association (LPPA) on September 16 could result in nearly 5,000 cancelled regional bus trips, out of roughly 880 routes normally operated on a working day. ATD estimates the action could affect up to 100,000 passengers who rely on public transport to reach work, school or medical facilities.

The Pierīga area would see the greatest impact, with 772 daily trips normally provided there, followed by the Aizkraukle-Ogre, Daugavpils-Krāslava and Talsi-Tukums route networks. The Ventspils lot, with 50 daily trips, would be least affected. ATD has asked carriers to carefully weigh whether the protest is necessary and to promptly inform both the directorate and passengers about planned disruptions, as well as to indicate whether any carrier could add extra trips to soften the impact.

Two operators will not join the protest: AS "Cataa", which holds a three-year contract, and SIA "Latvijas sabiedriskais autobuss", which is not an LPPA member. LPPA president Ivo Ošenieks said the exact number of participating carriers is not yet known, but most are expected to join the action.

Demands and funding

LPPA is calling for an urgent solution on indexing long-term carrier contracts and additional funding to cover rising costs, as well as compensation for fuel price increases linked to the Middle East conflict. The association asked that ATD be instructed to amend the long-term contracts by September 15.

The Transport Ministry has already requested an additional €9.8 million to ensure continuity of public transport services through the end of 2026. Transport Minister Rihards Kozlovskis said one-off funding cannot fix the sector's structural financing problems and called for deeper reforms, including route network optimization and digitalization.