As of this week, the routes and departure times of several bus lines in Tallinn have changed. While some are already gathering signatures for petitions against the changes, many passengers were caught off guard by the updates.

According to the changes now in effect, some lines will be discontinued, some will have route adjustments and others will be extended. Olev Parts, the head of public transportation at the Tallinn Transport Department, explained that many people want to travel not only to the city center but also a few stops further. Additional routes have been created for areas with rapidly growing populations.

"With today's changes, there will be direct connections from Astangu, and Tiskre will also have a direct route, allowing passengers to theoretically reach the city center in a reasonable time – around 25 to 35 minutes," said Parts.

Dago Antov said it's too early to assess how successful the new bus lines will be, noting that conclusions can only be drawn after a month. He believes the biggest issue with public transport in the capital is its slowness, as cars still reach destinations faster, even during traffic jams.

"One thing is to make the ride faster, which means that buses, trams and trolleys shouldn't be stuck in the same traffic jams as cars. Another factor is reducing the time spent waiting for buses and transferring between lines. I believe today's changes are primarily aimed at addressing the time lost in transfers," Antov said.

Antov also noted the current paradoxical situation: for years, people criticized the bus network for being largely from the Soviet era and not reflecting modern needs. Now, they are protesting the changes and advocating for the preservation of the old network.

"When it comes to public transport, it will never be perfectly suitable or acceptable for everyone. It should aim to meet the needs of many people, but it will never satisfy everyone completely," said Antov.

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