The large number of canceled trips shows that hundreds and even thousands of passengers have had to change their daily plans.
Passengers encountered at Riga bus station confirmed that the following changes are not pleasant:
“It's not pleasant, I'm waiting for something to come. I was used to it. People have gone away, looking for a solution.”
“It's not really pleasant. I come here and wait for an hour again.”
“I was in Riga a week ago, then there were no problems.”
The Road Transport Directorate (ATD) stated that this was not an acceptable situation, and asked the company to explain the situation by Monday evening and submit a concrete plan to address it.
The ATD explained that it would also calculate the amount of the penalty that the company would incur for outstanding trips.
Liepājas bus park explained that they currently lack 30% of Pierīga drivers. The company's board member, Didzis Jēriņš, who is also Liepaja's deputy executive director, said drivers have different ailments. The average age of drivers is 60 years old.
The company's chief executive, Anna Valtere, also said that such a number of drivers is “not representative” and therefore it is not possible to complete all trips. The company is trying to actively address this issue and attract new drivers.
In response to the question whether the problem would also affect other regions and routes, the company indicated that it was not clear yet.
Passengers are invited to search the Road Transport Directorate's website for the current information on the changes.
