A new set of service-level guidelines for regional bus routes, developed under the leadership of the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, aims to introduce standardized interval-based timetables. Legislation to support the changes is also being drafted.

The ministry said the guidelines are intended to serve as a nonbinding agreement between regional public transport centers, local governments and the ministry.

"The main goal is to help create a nationwide, integrated public transport network by more clearly defining the responsibilities of the state and local governments," said Andres Ruubas, head of the public transport department at the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture.

Under the guidelines, county bus routes would be divided into regional routes and basic connections. Regional routes are bus services linking a county's larger population centers with smaller surrounding communities or major transport infrastructure such as railway stations, ports and airports.

"One of the defining characteristics of a regional route is the introduction of a standardized departure frequency, or base interval, following a one-, two- or four-hour schedule," the ministry said. "Such a system ensures departures are evenly distributed throughout the day and eliminates long gaps in service. During peak hours, schedules would be intensified, while intervals could be adjusted during periods of lower demand."

The guidelines also place particular emphasis on coordinating regional routes at larger hubs, allowing passengers to make convenient transfers between buses traveling in different directions and, in some cases, trains, enabling access to as many destinations as possible with no more than one transfer.

According to the ministry, the choice of base interval for a regional route would primarily depend on the size of the community being served, the extent of residents' ties to the regional center and the travel time required to reach it. The size of the center itself and its importance as a source of jobs and regional services would also be taken into account.

In addition to departure intervals, the guidelines identify service hours — the period between the first and last departure each day — as a key factor, with services starting earlier and ending later than they do now. Under the proposal, the first buses should arrive at regional centers by 8 a.m. at the latest, or by 6-7 a.m. for larger centers, the ministry said.

The last departures from regional centers should take place after 8 p.m., or after 10-11 p.m. in the case of larger centers.

"This would provide better transport connections for activities taking place outside regular working hours, such as shift work, extracurricular activities and cultural events," the ministry added.

The guidelines also call for basic public transport connections in smaller communities and sparsely populated areas not served by regional routes.

"Unlike the previous approach, the guidelines no longer set a minimum number of departures for basic connections. Instead, they define which services and opportunities must be accessible by public transport," the ministry said. "Basic connections must enable people to commute to work during standard hours, access essential local services and transfer to rail and long-distance bus services."

The definition of regional routes is expected to be established under a new Public Transport Act, the draft of which is currently being prepared by the ministry.

Public transport center head: Plan unrealistic

Andrus Nilisk, executive director of the North Estonia Public Transport Center, called the government's plan unrealistic. He stressed that the guidelines are only advisory and said the ministry does not have sufficient funding to implement the changes.

"I don't think this recommended change will be introduced anytime soon. First, there isn't enough money for it and, second, there isn't much need for it. There are probably places in rural areas where it could be useful, but there simply aren't enough resources," he said.

Nilisk also argued that people want to travel at specific times of day rather than at fixed intervals throughout the day.

"People go to work in the morning and come home in the evening, so those daytime intervals could end up with very few passengers," he said.

On the other hand, he added, the proposed schedule could be too frequent in some areas.

He also noted that keeping buses on a fixed schedule could be affected by traffic congestion, which is impossible to predict.

The plan also calls for buses and trains to meet at transport hubs, but Nilisk said that is not feasible everywhere.

"We've tried to coordinate bus and rail connections. For example, in Rapla there's a dedicated bus route that connects with the train. That's not possible everywhere because buses can run late and won't always make the train. Creating dedicated feeder routes that operate around train schedules is possible and can be done, but that again requires additional funding," Nilisk said.

Ticket prices could rise

Speaking to Vikerraadio, Andres Ruubas said one possible way to finance the changes would be higher bus fares.

Ruubas acknowledged that additional funding will be needed to implement the plan.

"That's one of the reasons why the guidelines are currently only advisory. The plan is ambitious and assumes that additional funding will be available for the system," Ruubas said. "On the one hand, we'll probably need to secure additional funding from the state budget. On the other, it's possible to reorganize the current route network and identify savings that could help cover the costs. We would also expect contributions from local governments and a greater share of costs to be covered by passengers."

Asked whether that would mean higher bus fares, Ruubas replied: "I'm not talking about any specific solution today. These are simply the alternatives we have to consider when deciding how to finance the additional departures. The service-level guidelines do not determine how the costs will be covered — that is a political decision. Since our goal and ambition is to make public transport accessible to people everywhere, these changes need to be implemented."

Ruubas said the proposed changes would make public transport easier to use because passengers could easily remember departure times if services operated on a fixed schedule. Standardized intervals would also make it easier to coordinate connections at transport hubs.

"That creates a network effect, allowing people to transfer from one route to another and giving them access to more destinations. If every route is designed individually and follows no common pattern, it's very difficult to coordinate them. If we want to create an integrated route network and make more destinations accessible, standardized intervals make that coordination much easier," he said.

Ruubas added that the ministry has already carried out route network analyses together with regional public transport centers and plans to continue the work with local communities, businesses and municipalities. So far, the analyses have been completed in about half of Estonia, with work underway in the remaining regions.

The article was updated to add details and comments from Andrus Nilisk.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and X and never miss an update!