RIGA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Passenger buses on Latvia's regional routes stopped for an hour on Tuesday morning to highlight the issue of underfunding in the Baltic country's public transport sector, local media has reported.
"One hour without public transport" lasted from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and was joined by nine of the 11 bus operators providing public transport services across Latvia.
The bus companies are demanding compensation for the losses they have incurred due to extraordinary circumstances in the period between July 1, 2022 and Aug. 31, 2025.
According to representatives of VTU Valmiera bus company, the operators want their contract prices to be upped by at least 10 percent to offset the cost increases related to more expensive fuel and labor and ensure uninterrupted passenger services. The bus operators' total losses are expected to reach an estimated 6.95 million euros (about 8.201 million U.S. dollars) in 2025, according to current forecasts.
The Latvian Road Transport Administration, the authority that concludes long-term contracts with the bus operators, warned that the bus operators will face penalties for a full or partial cancellation of passenger services during the protest.
On Aug. 12, public transport services providers staged a protest in Riga, calling on the government to compensate for their unforeseen cost increases.
On Sept. 4, the Public Transport Council decided to reduce the state-funded network of regional bus routes by 16 percent in 2026. The Latvian government is taking measures to reduce transport costs in order to channel more funding into pressing needs such as defense, demography and education. ■
