Launching campaign “Don't stop yourself – Check out your ticket!”

On 10 May, the informative campaign “Don't stop yourself – take a ticket!” with the aim of promoting a sense of co-responsibility of citizens, requesting a travel ticket for which a passenger has paid, and preventing ticket sales in buses. The inspectors of the Road Transport Directorate shall periodically detect irregularities related to the failure to issue a ticket or the non-compliance of the staging point indicated in the ticket to the person who has been identified by the passenger. There are also complaints from the people themselves. At present, when the funding allocated is not sufficient to maintain a regional route network at the existing level, it is essential that the data on the frequency of use of public transport submitted to the Road Transport Directorate are consistent with the real demand.
In recent years, the Road Transport Directorate has increased the number of controls carried out on regional bus bus routes, more than 500 routes have been put in place for subscription tickets, so that the passenger does not have to buy a ticket for each driving time, in cash, in 120 routes, passenger transport is carried out by buses in which video surveillance is installed, 219 routes are subject to non-cash settlement, but these measures are not enough to eliminate ticket trade offences, as they are still found, as well as often the passengers themselves complain about the subject. The most common violations are the non-service of tickets to a passenger, the issuance of a zero-value ticket to a passenger who has paid for it, as well as the inconsistency of the staging point indicated in the ticket with the stop that the passenger has called the bus driver at the time when the ticket was purchased.
“Next year, a competition for the provision of public transport services from 2021 will be announced. It is planned that from 2021, non-cash settlement and video surveillance will be introduced in all buses, which will prevent ticket sales, but at the moment when all buses are not yet equipped, it is important for passengers to play a significant role. Significant progress has been made in improving the quality of services in recent years, for example, the average age of buses is 11 years, but it was 12,28 years ago. The improvement of quality and the development of loyalty programmes has led to a reduction in the number of passengers, however the statistics on the number of passengers transported are still not in line with actual demand,” says Transport Minister Uldis Augulis.
“Often the people pay the bus driver, but the ticket does not take away, thinking that this will help the driver to gain extra profits, but passengers may not be aware that they are risking a reduction in the number of flights on that route. Unfortunately, there have been cases where the activities of unresponsible passengers and faulty bus drivers have led to the closure of a flight, despite the fact that there was a demand in reality. It is therefore planned to invite citizens to take a ticket in public transport as part of the campaign, as it is a way to show that a flight is needed. In addition, a passenger who does not have a ticket at the time of the journey or is inappropriate shall be in danger of a fine of up to 20 euros or a call from the bus,” shall be invited by the Chairman of the board of transport of the Road Transport Directorate, Kristians Godiņš.
At the time of the campaign “Don't stop yourself – take a ticket!” at regional routes, nine buses with a campaign symbol, as well as all buses, posters, stickers or screens will show information about the importance of the ticket, and the ability of passengers to communicate with the drivers of the road transport directorate, if a ticket trade infringement is detected. In the absence of a ticket or other ticket sales violations, passengers will be able to communicate with the controllers throughout the day by sending a text message or by telephone 27776621 and indicating the bus route, the day and time of the journey and the stops in which the passenger was taken into the bus. Similarly, as part of the campaign, the road transport directorate will publish a map with routes where there is a possible reduction in the number of flights due to the absence of tickets. These routes are selected on the basis of irregularities detected by bus controllers and complaints lodged by passengers.
On the State SIA Road Administration

The Road Transport Directorate is a co-ordinator of a single national policy in the field of international transport, the licensing of commercial transport business, as well as in the planning of public transport. Through regular public transport financial analysis and audits, the Directorate provides a single, continuous and accessible public transport system across the country. The task of the Road Transport Directorate is to implement a series of measures to ensure that Latvian road hauliers have a legitimate opportunity to carry out transportation in and outside the territory of Latvia. 
For additional information:
Zane Plone,
VSIA Road Transport Directorate Public Relationship Manager
Phone: + 371 67686485; + 371 28627003
Email: zane.plone@atd.lv
twitter.com/ATD_LV; facebook.com/AutotransportaDirekcija