The ministry says there are very few electric cars and they do not hinder public transport.

"If we talk about Estonia in general, about 1 percent of the entire vehicle fleet is electric cars. Within the borders of Harju County, it is slightly over 2 percent. That this number is still very small," explained Sander Salmu, deputy secretary general for transport at the Ministry of Climate.

Järvan believes the ministry and the city have different visions of how to create more environmentally friendly transport.

"While the climate ministry thinks this is best done through electric cars, the city's position is rather that public transport should be the way to move towards it," he said.

The deputy mayor said, based on the data of the Transport Administration, it can be assumed that the number of electric vehicles in Harju County will increase in the coming years. This could stop public transport from operating smoothly as more cars will be allowed to drive in these lanes.

"My view, which is why I took the initiative in the first place, is that car owners are being treated unequally and, in fact, public transport is being hampered," Järvan said.

Last month, the Riigikogu changed the Traffic Act, giving electric cars the right to drive in public transport lanes.

Tallinn Transport (TLT) said non-electric vehicles are still more likely to cause issues in public transport lanes. But TLT project manager Mark Kitajev said if the number of electric vehicles considerably increases in the future the "use of public transport routes could certainly be reconsidered."

There are currently approximately 750,000 passenger cars in the active register. In Harjumaa, electric cars make up about two percent of all registered vehicles.

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