10,000 signatures collected to keep free travel for people with disabilities

More than 10,000 signatures have been collected on Manabalss.lv, Latvia's citizen initiative portal, for an initiative demanding that free public transport travel be kept for people with disabilities and their companions. It also opposes the obligation to pay a fare difference on regional commercial routes. Signature collection began on 6 November and responds to the Ministry of Transport's plan to limit fare concessions.

Current rules and the ministry's proposal

Initiative representative Raimonds Lejnieks-Puķe explains that the Disability Law currently guarantees free travel for people with disability group I or II and for children with disabilities. A person accompanying a child with a disability or someone with group I disability is also covered.

The Ministry of Transport proposes limiting the state-funded concession to 70% of the ticket price. Passengers would then pay 30% for travel that is now free. If a child cannot travel alone, the family would have to pay for both the child's and the companion's ticket.

What the initiative demands

The initiative asks the Saeima, Latvia's parliament, to keep free travel in full, meaning the rights set out in Article 12, Part 1, Clause 7 of the Disability Law, and to reject the 30% co-payment. It also proposes amending the Public Transport Services Law so that a protected passenger would not have to cover the fare difference on a regional commercial route. At present, if a commercial ticket costs more than the state-set tariff on subsidised transport, the passenger pays the difference. Cabinet regulations would also need to be reviewed.

The author wants the government to calculate separately the funding needed for this guarantee when preparing the state budget. If a cut is proposed in future, an impact assessment should be published first and alternatives discussed with organisations representing people with disabilities.

The ministry's funding options

The ministry's solution would raise fares by 10% on average from 2027 and cut concessions from 100% to 70%. Ombudsperson Karina Palkova, patient organisations, the association "Apeirons" and the society "Latvian Child Welfare Network" have objected.

The ministry's report offers three options for the Cabinet of Ministers to assess. Base funding has been 93.8 million euros since 2024, while costs in 2026 are forecast at about 109.9 million euros.

• Option one: stay within base funding by cutting the regional bus network by about 14% and rail services by about 3%, and raising fares by about 30% on average.
• Option two, which the ministry considers practically feasible: keep the network, raise fares by 10% on average and cap concessions at 70%, saving about 6.9 million euros a year.
• Option three: keep the network and current concessions while raising fares by 10%, but this would need about 15 million euros more per year.