Public transport in Riga will be free at the end of European Mobility Week on 22 September
To promote the use of public transport while reducing traffic intensity and environmental and air pollution in the city, everyone will have the opportunity to use Riga local government public transport for free at the end of the European Mobility Week on 22 September.
From 16 to 22 September, the traditional European Mobility Week will take place across Europe under the slogan “Save Energy”, encouraging people to use private vehicles as little as possible, thus promoting environmentally friendly vehicle use and reducing emissions and pollution in cities.
To promote the use of public transport among city residents, the Finance and Administration Issue Committee today, on 14 September, endorsed a proposal by the Department for Spatial Planning and Mobility to grant a ticket discount in the public transport network in Riga as part of the European Mobility Week. The day chosen for the activity is 22 September, the final day of the European Mobility Week.
Chairman of the Riga City Council Vilnis Ķirsis: “Convenient and accessible public transport is one of the answers to reducing traffic jams in the city and thus also reducing air pollution in the city. Since the beginning of the year, when Rīgas satiksme introduced a ticketing reform designed to increase the amount of regular passengers, new public transport lanes and other improvements to make buses, trolleybuses and trams run more smoothly, we have seen that it is working – the number of passengers is steadily increasing. At the same time, everyone who is not yet used to public transport as a daily option should be given the opportunity to experience the convenience of public transport and realise that it is a good alternative to the private vehicle.”
According to Section 4 of the Law on Local Governments, one of the autonomous functions of a local government is to promote climate change mitigation and adaptation, and therefore Riga Local Government supports initiatives and activities aiming to achieve the city's climate neutrality goals. One of the aims of Riga is to reduce environmental and air pollution, but this cannot be achieved without public participation and a traffic reduction.
This year, Riga Local Government will organise various thematic events and discussions to draw public attention to public transport, electric vehicles, cycling infrastructure and technologies that can improve the urban environment. The event programme is available on riga.lv/en.
Riga Local Government invites companies, service providers, public and non-governmental organisations to take part in the European Mobility Week and encourage their employees not to use private vehicles during this time, but to choose an environmentally friendly mode of transport for their daily journeys, setting an example for others.
Information provided by: Tatjana Smirnova, Project Coordinator of the Department of External Communication, Riga Local Government, e-mail: tsmirnova11@riga.lv.
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