RIGA, Nov 1 (LETA) - Rigas Satiksme municipal transport company is cutting public transport departures in Riga as more and more drivers fall ill with Covid-19 and other diseases, the company's CEO Dzineta Innusa said in a news conference Monday. 

Around 330 of the 1,500 Rigas Satiksme drivers are currently on sick leave. They have Covid-19 and also other illnesses, Innusa said. 

To not overwork the remaining healthy employees, it has been decided to cut public transport departures in Riga by around 18 percent. 

According to Innusa, Rigas Satiksme will try to avoid reducing departures in the morning  rush hours and on the busiest and most crowded routes like bus route No.3. 

Departures will be cut on routes which already have fewer passengers and some departures will be cancelled also at weekends. The company plans to close trolleybus route No.1 which already remained suspended during the summer. 

As reported, Rigas Satiksme posted EUR 173.502 million turnover for 2020, down 9.2 percent from a year before, while the company's profit grew 26.9 percent to EUR 980,886. 

Fully owned by Riga City Council, Rigas Satiksme provides bus, tram and trolleybus services to passengers in Riga.