Latvia, Taxation, Transport

International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Saturday, 16.11.2024, 14:38

Passenger bus ticket prices to be raised even more in Latvia

Alla Petrova, BC, Riga, 06.01.2009.Print version
At the end of the year 2009, many passengers were unpleasantly surprised by the steep increase of prices for intercity bus tickets in Latvia, as well as with cancellations and delays in numerous bus routes. The Road Transport Administration (RTA) pledges that this week, the buses will resume running according to normal schedule.

At the same time, the RTA warn that the ticket prices will surge even more in the first quarter of this year, the newspaper Latvijas Avize reports.

 

Ticket prices will need to be raised more because of the increase of the applicable VAT rate (which is now set at 10%, compared with the 5% VAT last year), because of the higher excise tax on fuel, as well as due to the demand for passenger carriers to create a mandatory reserve fund.

 

"We will observe the flow of money in the first quarter of the year and we will decide on either to increase the ticket prices or to reduce the number of bus routes," RTA Chairman of the Board Andris Lubans explains.

 

As of January 1, ticket prices for intercity bus routes have soared five to 30%.

 

Furthermore, the boarding fee in buses has been raised from 40 to 55 santims. In practice this means that, for example, a Bauska-Riga ticket, which previously cost LVL 1.5, will now cost LVL 2 in the regular buses and LVL 2.6 in express buses.





← Back↑ Up

Русский
Search site