Tallinn night bus use remained stable throughout 2024

The use of Tallinn's night bus services, which, since January 2024, have been operating year-round, has remained stable. The most popular routes are those heading from the city center to the Mustamäe and Lasnamäe districts.
Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa) expressed satisfaction that, similar to in other, larger European capitals, night buses have also found an audience in Tallinn.
"The pilot project for the service launched in May 2023 with four routes. Since January 2024, routes to Pääsküla and Viimsi have been added, and the buses now run year-round. The most popular routes have consistently been Mustamäe, Lasnamäe, and Vana-Pääsküla. Usage data indicates that Tallinn residents are increasingly embracing night buses," said Järvan.
From January to April, night buses were used by an average of 1,400 to 1,650 people on weekends, while from May to August, the number of users exceeded 2,000 (2,150 in May, 2,440 in June, 2,500 in July, and 2,100 in August).
This trend was expected, as spring and summer months see more late-night cultural and entertainment events in the city center. From September to the end of the year, night bus usage remained stable, averaging higher than in the year's early months (1,970 in September, 2,010 in October, 1,940 in November, and 1,860 in December).
Tallinn's Nighttime Advisor Natalie Mets said it is essential to continue developing night bus routes. "To collect qualitative data, we plan to conduct another user survey at the end of summer. Routes should also be reviewed and adjusted if necessary to better meet user needs. Additionally, we are considering extending bus departures on weekdays during major concerts."
Night buses operating in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday are most frequently used between 12.30 a.m. and 2 a.m. with the highest number of passengers boarding at half past midnight. Although the routes start at Balti Jaam, the most used stops are near Vabaduse väljak (Freedom Square) and the Estonia Theater. The number of passengers traveling toward the city center on night buses has also increased.
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Editor: Michael Cole