Tpilet and Cargobus operator to close branches in four Estonian cities
T Grupp, the operator of Estonia's Tpilet and Cargobus services, is ending branch operations in Narva, Haapsalu, Rakvere and Võru next year amid falling ticket sales.
The company said ticket sales at physical counters have been steadily declining, accounting for less than 10 percent nationwide and under 1 percent in smaller cities. Eight employees will be laid off as a result.
"When we look at smaller cities, the amount — both in total tickets sold and as a percentage — is less than one percent," said T Grupp's ticket sales manager Airika Aruksaar.
Some passengers, however, value the ability to buy tickets in person.
Agnes Piirisild travels by intercity bus three or four times a year to visit grandchildren or go to a sanatorium in Pärnu.
"I'm an old person, I don't even know how else to buy tickets," Piirisild said. She added that while her grandchildren will sometimes help her buy bus tickets online, she prefers buying them herself in person.
Other travelers, like Madis Vikman, rely on digital options. "I don't use [physical] tickets; I use my bus pass," he said.
T Group said ticket sales will continue in Narva, Haapsalu and Rakvere through new service providers.
In Haapsalu, the Tpilet office will stay open at the Railway and Communications Museum through the end of the year. Aruksaar said the museum is interested in taking over ticket sales once the branch officially closes.
In Narva, Tpilet's counter at Fama Center will be replaced by the mall itself, which has confirmed it will continue selling tickets. Meanwhile, in Rakvere, sales have already moved to the R-Kiosk at the bus station.
Võru is now the only city where T Grupp remains the sole service provider. Evoler, which owns and manages Võru Bus Station, said the station will stay open, but it's unclear whether in-person ticket sales will continue after the New Year.
Cargobus moving online
The branch closures will also affect the group's Cargobus package delivery services.
Sven Salumaa, T Grupp's parcel business manager, said the locations will no longer offer in-person customer service, but Cargobus will continue serving customers online with door-to-door delivery.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Aili Vahtla
