Bus company Lux Express has reduced the number of departures on its Tartu-Riga line, the Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported.

As recently as August, it was possible to travel from Tartu to Riga and from Riga to Tartu three times a day, but starting in September, only two departures remain in each direction.

The Tartu Latvian Society wrote to the Tartu City Government and Lux Express, saying that the reduction in services came as an unpleasant surprise to many people – including foreign students and those who travel to Riga for work, family visits, or tourism.

Lux Express board member Ingmar Roos said the morning service was discontinued due to very low ticket sales:

“Our results from January to May, which are comparable to what we expect in the fall, showed fewer than 22 passengers per trip. The spring figures made it clear that continuing this departure based solely on ticket revenue would be deeply unprofitable. Therefore, we were forced to suspend it. According to our current plan, we will reopen the service during the next high season – in May 2026.”

In the first five months of this year, operating the route resulted in an average monthly loss of €7,000.

The privately owned Lux Express told the Tartu City Government and the Minister of Infrastructure that it would be willing to restore the morning Riga departure if it received a subsidy of €4,500 per month during the low season (September through May) – a total of about €40,000 over nine months.

“The situation has become somewhat more complicated compared to last year, as a connecting train service has now been launched between Tartu and Riga. While last year, during the same period, we had 29-30 passengers per trip – right at the break-even point – this year the number has fallen significantly below that,” Roos said.

“We are willing to absorb part of the loss ourselves, hoping to recover it next summer. But in order to restore the Tartu-Riga morning service on a commercial basis, we would need a small operational subsidy from the local government or the state.”

Tartu City Secretary Jüri Mölder said that under the Public Transport Act, it is the state that is responsible for supporting international bus routes, but local government support is not excluded.

Source: BNS

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