The midday bus from Tartu toward Piusa takes two hours and 13 minutes — nearly an hour longer than the train. Until August 6, the train made the trip in just under an hour and a half, but since then, the service has been replaced by buses. Previously, the train brought tourists to Piusa; now, few if any reach the destination.

"Tourists used to come here. For many, it was their first train ride, which children found fascinating. Then they could visit the caves and play in Estonia's largest sandbox. I can't predict exactly how many visitors we would have had, but I know one large group canceled their late August trip here, which was meant to be their summer gathering. A bus simply can't replace a train," said Piusa Visitor Center director Katariina Keerd.

Bus driver Rein confirmed that almost no one now travels toward Piusa by bus. Most passengers, he said, are headed to the border checkpoint.

"When the bus is full, about 70 percent of passengers get off at the border," said GoBus driver Rein Laak.

The decision to replace trains in Southeast Estonia with buses was made because carrier Elron, struggling with a shortage of locomotive drivers, sought routes where it could save the most driver hours in order to maintain as much of the national timetable as possible. But for the Põlva and Võru County development centers, which represent sparsely populated areas, the move is unacceptable. They have appealed to the regional minister.

"Summer is a crucial time for our tourism sector. This train is important for people who cycle to places like Taevaskoda or Piusa, as well as for commuters. And it already runs infrequently. A bus is no substitute for this train," said Martti Rõigas, chairman of the Põlvamaa Development Center's supervisory board.

Rõigas also criticized the last-minute nature of the change.

"When you get a press release on the evening of August 5... it doesn't even reach local governments in time. Nobody can pass along the message that on the morning of August 6 you can still take the train there, but you can't return by train the same day. That's exactly what happened to some cyclists on August 6 — they went there but had no way to get back," Rõigas said.

In total, Elron has replaced 12 weekday departures and 14 weekend departures nationwide with buses, a change estimated to have reduced passenger numbers by 30 percent. Regional Minister Hendrik Johannes Terras (Eesti 200) promised to bring the matter to the Cabinet next week.

"I'll propose that the government review Elron's revenues, with the aim of reaching an agreement with locomotive drivers so they agree to work overtime and cover all the routes where we can currently run trains," Terras said.

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