For decades, one of the final stops for Tallinn's county bus lines has been at the Balti jaam (Baltic Station). Over 400 buses depart from there every day. This week, the city of Tallinn decided that starting in August, county buses will no longer serve that location.

Reet, who was waiting for a bus to Loksa, said she's disappointed she won't be able to catch her bus at the Balti jaam much longer.

"It's convenient for me because I come from Nõmme by train and transfer directly to the bus. I do the same in reverse — coming from Loksa by bus and then continuing to Nõmme," Reet said.

The new final stops will be in the city center, and according to Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa), the aim is to reduce traffic congestion. He noted that, on average, only 1.5 passengers per bus travel to the Balti jaam during the morning rush hour.

According to Järvan, it is the responsibility of the North Estonia Public Transport Center to find a solution that avoids traffic jams caused by regional buses waiting to depart near Estonia puiestee, Kaarli puiestee or Solaris.

"It's an important task for the North Estonia Public Transport Center to reassess and adapt the route network in a way that prevents such congestion," Järvan said.

Andrus Nilisk, head of the North Estonia Public Transport Center, said the change will likely lead to traffic jams in the city center because between 33 and 37 buses depart from the six stops at the Balti jaam during peak hours.

"If we now move those buses to three stops in the city center — with a bus every five minutes, each 12 meters long, picking up and dropping off passengers who don't return to the same line but instead transfer to another — then this is not a city route. It's a circular line: passengers finish one trip and start another. If a queue of ten buses forms there, is that really better for the urban space? Right now, they're all in one place," Nilisk said.

Nilisk also rejected the claim that buses arriving at the Balti jaam during rush hour carry an average of just 1.5 passengers.

"If we look at the actual numbers, last year's average boardings per line were 3.5. During rush hour, it's five to ten. And even if only 1.5 people per bus transferred to the train, that still means 1.1 fewer cars entering Tallinn," he added.

Lauri Betlem, CEO of passenger rail carrier Elron, said that while it doesn't matter where the bus waiting area is located, the county bus stop at the Balti jaam must remain because it's a critical transport hub offering a convenient transfer point between trains and buses.

"We believe the more reasonable solution would be to finally build the Kristiine terminal that's been talked about for the past ten years, and to think about how the future Rail Baltica Linda terminal could become a public transport mobility hub. Only then should we consider what to do with the existing infrastructure," Betlem said.

According to Betlem, the capital is currently dismantling a functioning transport hub without offering a replacement. He also pointed out that following Järvan's suggestion to reach the Balti jaam by city transport wouldn't just require an extra transfer — it would mean an additional ticket.

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