New cross-border local bus services begin running between Latvia and Estonia
New regional bus services have begun running between towns in the south of Estonia and the north of Latvia. To establish the bus lines between Valga and Valka and Pärnu and Salaca, public transport centers have had to grapple with the different bureaucratic systems in the two countries for a number of years.
A new bus service linking the twin border towns of Valga in Estonia and Valka in Latvia, will now arrive at Valga railway station in time for passengers to catch trains to all three Baltic capitals – Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius.
However, the main beneficiaries of the new service are expected to be local people, who will now have more convenient transport options to help them get between towns in the border area.
The bus lines are operating as a one-year-long pilot project, with three trips per day, the costs of which will be covered by EU funds.
"We anticipate that the new route will be used more by pensioners and children, who will be able to travel free of charge. Although it is possible to extend the service to working people, the times would have to be more convenient for them," said Ivar Unt, chair of the Valga County Public Transport Center.
The county line, which previously ran from Pärnu and Ikla in Estonia to Ikla will now 10 times a day to the Latvian town Ainaži and twice a day to Salaca.
"The people have certainly been waiting for it. The interest has been great. Pensioners especially have been waiting for this," said bus driver Neeme Teearu.
"The aim of the cross-border routes is to create a situation similar to the one before border controls were introduced. The inhabitants of the border areas in both countries are linked to each other by having close family as well as residential and economic ties," said Andrus Kärpuk, head of the Pärn County Public Transport Center.
Until now, people have had to walk for several kilometers if they need to travel between Ikla and Ainaži, as different legislation in Estonia and Latvia did not allow cross-border buses to operate, and international lines did not stop at these smaller locations.
"In our understanding, this is still a local bus line, even though it runs in two countries. So now we also have to take into account the international rules, which are stricter than the national rules," Unt said.
Cross-border connections between Estonian and Latvian towns are also needed for use by locals in a number of other locations. However, there are currently no plans in place for them to be introduced.
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Editor: Michael Cole, Marko Tooming
