Regional transport operators prepare protest, plan one-day service stoppage

Latvia’s regional public transport operators plan to suspend state-ordered services for one day on Sept. 16, the Latvian Passenger Carrier Association said.

The association said the protest follows lengthy talks with the Transport Ministry that have failed to produce a mechanism for indexing 10-year contracts to changing economic conditions. Operators said rising costs have made the existing contract prices inadequate.

The action will take place roughly a year after the previous protest. Association members say that more than a year of discussions, calculations and proposals has not produced a result that would allow them to operate at the actual cost of providing the service.

LPPA President Ivo Ošenieks said carriers did not want to protest, but wanted a solution. He urged authorities to take concrete steps rather than delay a decision, warning that the sector could face an even more difficult financial position in the autumn after parliamentary elections.

“The carriers’ goal is not to make things harder for passengers. On the contrary, we want regional public transport to remain stable, regular and accessible to residents,” Ošenieks said.

The association is calling for immediate amendments to long-term contracts, additional funding to cover sharply higher costs and compensation for increased fuel prices linked to the consequences of conflict in the Middle East. It said the Road Transport Administration, together with the Procurement Monitoring Bureau, had prepared a legal solution that should be sent to the Cabinet for approval.

The operators said fuel prices have risen by more than 56% since tender offers were submitted, while total inflation has reached 38.1%. They also said the state budget initially allocated less funding for public transport this year, though the supplied report ends before giving the amount.

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The carriers’ goal is not to make things harder for passengers. On the contrary, we want regional public transport to remain stable, regular and accessible to residents.