RIGA, Oct 16 (LETA) - In order to improve the public transportation network, it is necessary to establish clear criteria for passenger transport, said Finance Minister Arvils Aseradens (New Unity) at the meeting of the Saeima Public Expenditure and Audit Committee on Wednesday.

The parliamentarians were acquainted with the results of the State Audit Office audit "Availability of public transport services on subsidized routes". The politician thanked the State Audit Office for the audit, pointing out that the issue of public transport is very important.

"It is not really clear why this network exists. Yes, it seems that there should be buses, but there should be criteria as to who should be transported and why. We live in a world of data, data is available. You can plan all the routes and understand what the main functional issues are," the Minister urged.

He called for an assessment of why a particular transport is needed - to transport employees to work, to transport pupils to and from school, etc.

"These are issues that need to be worked on. We have a system that works according to some old parameters - a bus has been going there for a hundred years, it has to go there for another hundred years, only this time we need bigger and better buses," commented Aseradens.

As a result, he said, the quality of the buses has been "inflated", but on many journeys they are used by only a few passengers. In turn, the industry requires additional subsidies.

The Minister is convinced that a radical change of the system is needed, with clear criteria that can be measured. There is also the question of how the train can become the backbone of public transport. Also, the private operators providing transportation services should also bear a financial risk, the politician believes.

As reported, the State Audit Office has identified a number of problems regarding efforts by the Transport Ministry, the Road Transport Association and the Public Transport Council to develop public transport services on routes of regional importance.

An audit carried out by the Audit Office has found that these institutions develop public transport routes without a unified approach, do not comply with the regulatory framework regarding the scope of state-guaranteed services, authorize routes where services are provided, in violation of the applicable laws and regulations, free of charge, and impose partially justified quality requirements for public transport services.

The audit has also concluded that the current situation does not encourage passengers to switch from private transport to competitive public transport to the extent envisaged by the state.

According to the Audit Office, buses on regional bus routes make around 1.5 million trips annually. The state subsidy to compensate carriers for losses incurred in providing this service amounted to EUR 62.8 million in 2023. On the average, the highest amount of subsidies per passenger for regional bus operators in 2023 was recorded in Latgale province, where it amounted to EUR 4 per passenger. Carriers need 1,060 buses to operate regional routes, and 87 percent of these buses are to be replaced by new buses over the next ten years. So far, residents have had ample opportunities to travel in comfortable buses, nevertheless, demand remains low and the service is too costly for the state.

According to the Audit Office's council member Oskars Erdmanis, mobility and accessibility are the key factors for a well thought out development of the country and access to services, and it is in the regions that people depend most on a reliable transport system. However, in the auditors' opinion, the current planning and provision of public transport services is not user-friendly and does not motivate people to change their habits - to drive their private cars less often and to use public transport instead.

"A well-designed public transport service and an increase in the number of residents using it would improve public transport's cost-effectiveness and the state would have to spend less taxpayers' money on subsidies to public transport operators. It would also reduce congestion and emissions, which are important in the context of the Green Deal," said Erdmanis.