Riga, March 26 (LETA) - The Riga City Council today endorsed the pilot project of a single ticket for Rigas Satiksme municipal public transport provider and Pasazieru Vilciens passenger train company and decided to instruct the spatial planning and mobility department to conclude an agreement with Rigas Satiksme, Pasazieru Vilciens and Road Transport Directorate (ATD) on its implementation.

The pilot project will be implemented under several conditions: Rigas Satiksme will provide use of Pasazieru Vilciens single ticket on the Riga public transport route network; for every single ticket sold at a price of EUR 2, Rigas Satiksme will receive EUR 0.89 without value added tax (VAT) and an additional EUR 0.11 with VAT.

The pilot project will run for a maximum of one year from the date of its launch and Rigas Satiksme is expected to submit an interim report on the results of the pilot project by December 15 this year.

The pilot project foresees that only Pasazieru Vilciens will sell the single electronic ticket.

Around EUR 50,000 from the Riga City Council reserve fund is planned for the development of the technical solution for the code ticket application.

The single ticket will be available on routes operated by Rigas Satiksme and in Zone A of regional rail routes. After the pilot project, the single ticket is planned to be introduced on a wider network of railway routes.

The main goal of the Riga City Council in implementing the idea is to ensure more modern, convenient and financially viable passenger transport in Riga," the local authority said. It is also a good start for inter-institutional cooperation to work together towards greening the transport system.

The Transport Ministry's report says that the pilot project could tentatively start on June 1, 2025, with a planned timeframe of one year from the date when the single ticket will be available for purchase.

The Transport Ministry expects the introduction of the single ticket to increase passenger numbers. Currently, around 38,000 passengers a year use the services of both carriers at the same time. The potential increase in the number of passengers using the single ticket is estimated at around 30 percent.