Public bus fares in Harju County to go up by 20 percent
Effective Friday, the tariffs for public bus routes in Harju County will increase by an average of 20 percent. Andrus Niliski, the managing director of the North-Estonian Public Transport Centre says this is needed in order to maintain the current capacity of the bus network, and to further develop the service.
The North-Estonian Public Transport Center operates in four counties; however, the 20 percent fare hike that goes into effect on July 1 only affects the pricing of public bus lines in Harju County. Furthermore, the 30-day combined fares for Tallinn and Harju County will go up.
Andrus Nilisk says that the primary reason for the increase in ticket prices is the overall increase in costs of transportation. This includes also the severe impact of growing fuel costs on the price of public transport services.
"This year alone, diesel fuel prices have increased sixty percent. The current tariffs have been in effect since July 1 2018 and the price of the service has increased significantly since then," Niliski said.
He also added that the company is working on several projects to provide users with public transport services that are faster, more convenient, flexible, and uniform.
From July 1 2018, residents of eleven counties were able to use regional public bus services for free. Four counties - Harju County, Rapla County, Lääne-Viru County and Pärnu County - did not join the system. In Harju County, however, passengers aged 20 and younger, and those aged 62 and olde,r can travel for free.
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Editor: Kristina Kersa
