Currently, Tallinn residents can ride buses and trains within the city limits for free, except when using county buses. If a resident wants to travel further within Harju County, the ticket price depends on the fare zones crossed. The city bus hourly ticket is not valid on county buses or trains, and a train ticket doesn't permit transfers to city or county buses.

The complexity of the ticketing system was illustrated when ERR inquired via Tallinn's ticketing information hotline about the cost of traveling from Tallinn's city center to the Viimsi Open Air Museum by transferring from a city bus to a county bus. The ticketing information agent had to call back after initially providing incorrect fare information.

Now, Minister of Regional Affairs Piret Hartman (SDE) and Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa) have announced that, as of mid-October, they reached an agreement with the North Estonia Public Transport Center to introduce a unified ticket for working-age adults in the Tallinn area. This ticket would be valid on trains, city buses and county buses.

"Imagine you start a trip from Tallinn and purchase an electronic ticket that you can verify with a QR code. You could then travel by city bus to, for example, the Baltic Station (Balti jaam), transfer to a train to reach a destination in Harju County and then continue on a county bus. This single ticket would be valid across all these modes of transport, with no need to buy additional tickets," Järvan explained.

Minister Hartman also confirmed that the three parties involved had reached an initial agreement to start implementing the unified ticketing system for adults. "Right now, we are moving – hopefully quickly – toward a final agreement. Currently, all parties are engaged in intensive negotiations to bring this to fruition," she said.

But the third party in the agreement, the North Estonia Public Transport Center – which coordinates county bus services – said it was unaware of an agreement.

According to Andrus Nilisk, head of the North Estonia Public Transport Center, the unified ticket was merely one of several options discussed but not formally agreed upon.

Nilisk also stated that a unified ticket for adults would not be feasible. He explained that implementing a shared ticket system for working-age people would require lowering train ticket prices while increasing bus ticket prices, as the average train fare is currently significantly higher than the average bus fare.

This type of fare alignment would mean additional costs for the state, Nilisk noted, adding that the government already faces a public transportation funding shortfall of nearly €6 million, with cuts in order.

"If a single train ticket currently costs a specific amount, and students or pensioners get a 30 percent discount, lowering the fare for working-age adults could bring their ticket price down to the level of student or pensioner fares. In that case, these groups would no longer receive any discount. There are numerous unclear and questionable aspects here. We don't actually see this as a viable solution," Nilisk explained.

ERR inquired how city and ministry representatives could have come to understand that a joint agreement on a unified ticketing system had been reached with the public transport center.

"There's a difference between wishful thinking and reality. It's been discussed, but we haven't formally signed off on anything," Nilisk remarked.

"I understand that Mr. Nilisk himself was not present at the meeting held on October 17. I'm not sure whether he has since familiarized himself with the outcome of that meeting. Another possibility is that, although the ministry has long promised to harmonize ticketing principles, this has repeatedly stalled due to a lack of political will, causing the issue to persist. This may have understandably led to some skepticism on the part of a responsible director about whether the ministry is actually taking action," Järvan explained.

No unified ticket for young people and pensioners

Discussions on implementing a unified ticket system have been challenging, as stakeholders have yet to agree on a single ticket price for children and seniors. The current talks only focus on working-age adults, excluding children and the elderly.

Currently, pensioners and children can ride county buses for free, but they must purchase a discounted ticket to travel by train.

Andrus Nilisk has previously stated that integrating the bus and train ticket systems would only be feasible if the free bus rides for students and pensioners in county services were eliminated. According to Nilisk, it would not be possible to raise bus ticket prices for working-age people enough to offset the necessary decrease in train ticket prices.

In June, Nilisk and Järvan calculated that if students and pensioners were required to pay a discounted fare of 40 percent across all services, a unified ticket system could generate an additional €2.4 million annually. Conversely, making bus and train rides free for students and pensioners around Tallinn would reduce ticket revenue by €6.4 million.

Järvan is urging the ministry to expedite the harmonization of bus and train discounts.

"Understandably, the state is facing tough financial times, but this could be done on a cost-neutral basis by reducing discounts in some areas while increasing them in others. Especially given that the state has already decided to cut public transportation subsidies. If cuts are going to happen anyway, we might as well take the step to improve the system systematically and implement unified tickets," Deputy Mayor Järvan said.

Choice between free rides for children or a more efficient route network

The government has pledged in its coalition agreement to ensure free public transportation for children and seniors. Regional Minister Piret Hartman also emphasized that public transport should be as accessible as possible in rural areas.

"For example, we are working to centralize high school education in county centers to improve quality. This means children will need to use public transportation more to access schooling. If we want children to stay in the educational system at least until adulthood, imposing financial barriers could restrict opportunities for a large part of this demographic," Hartman explained.

Nilisk previously noted that removing free bus access for children and seniors would initially reduce public transport usage by 20 percent. However, he believes a unified ticketing system would make transportation more convenient, eventually bringing riders back over the long term.

"With a unified ticket, which provides people with better options for combining their trips, the drop in ridership wouldn't be as severe and ridership would gradually recover. We would also need to work on the route network, harmonizing county and train lines, and perhaps even better integrating routes with Tallinn. This would certainly provide more freedom of movement and eliminate competition between different types of public transport," Nilisk said.

It can be cheaper to drive than take the bus in some cases

In the spring, Nilisk highlighted the inefficiency of the current public transportation system with an example of a resident of Rummu who wants to travel to TalTech in Mustamäe. A county bus that runs twice a day goes directly to the destination, costing €3.80 per trip. By comparison, a car journey, which can be made at any convenient time, costs about €4.

A route involving transfers, which offers flexibility comparable to a car, is available 20 times a day but is significantly more expensive. "The cost is €7.30: €2 for the county bus from Rummu to Keila, €3.30 for the train to Tallinn and another €2 for the Tallinn city bus to the university," Nilisk explained in the spring.

Statistics from the Transport Administration show that public transportation usage in North Estonia has steadily declined over the past decade.

In 2013, 34 percent of people commuted between home and work by public transport, but by 2023, this figure had dropped to 26 percent. Meanwhile, the share of those commuting by car rose from 49 percent to 56 percent during the same period.

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