Tallinn-municipality bus route funding awaiting government decision
Funding for connecting city and municipality bus routes has not been allocated this year and Tallinn and municipalities are hoping for a decision from the new coalition.
Bus routes that cross the borders of Tallinn and its neighboring municipalities are funded through cooperation between the city, municipalities, and the state. However, this year, the state has not allocated any funds for this purpose.
Executive Director of the North Estonia Public Transport Center Andrus Nilisk has voiced his concerns to the Ministry of Regional Affairs. The center cannot fulfill its obligations without funding.
Until now, these routes have been funded under tripartite agreements between the city, the public transport center, and the municipalities, with the state providing the necessary funds to the transport center.
Nilisk told ERR the current funding model could change as he does not see a reason for the state to fund these lines. "I would say that this is not the state's responsibility but an agreement between two municipalities," he said.
Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa) said the capital's goal is to improve cross-border connections together with neighboring municipalities. He said the state's funding messages have been "unclear."
"If changes are made to the funding model, we must review these issues together with the stakeholders, but the costs must be covered by the parties involved. The city of Tallinn hopes that the government currently being formed will provide clear positions on this issue as soon as possible," the official said.
For the North Estonia Public Transport Center, the funding cuts affect agreements with Viimsi municipality, covering routes 1, 38, and 49; Saue municipality, covering routes 18, 18A, 20A, and 27; Harku municipality, covering route 27; and Maardu municipality, covering route 34.
Andres Ruubas, head of the Public Transport Department at the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, said funding decisions depend on changes within the government.
"In our view, the arrangement where the state partially supports city routes extended into municipalities should remain," he said.
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Editor: Barbara Oja, Helen Wright
