Currently, Rīga's public transport stop shelters are mainly provided by one company – JCDecaux. It has two contracts with Rīga.
Their idea is simple – they put the shelters up, manage them, and can show ads on them. One of the contracts will expire in August this year. To re-enter, various rules must be complied with, such as attracting an independent assesser.
"Unfortunately, the City Council has not moved anywhere with what will be next. We are launching a project for dismantling right now, but we also repeatedly told the City Council that we are ready... If we find a legal common denominator [..], we are ready to consider, of course," Jeļena Brokāne, director of JCDecaux Latvia, said.
This means that some of the stops with shelters could disappear in August. Since 2022, the municipality has tried to sort this issue out twice, but without results.
There is also now a competition – which is already the City Council's third attempt – for the purchase of approximately 500 shelters in the amount of 5 million.
"There must be stops. We are not looking at the option of leaving Rīgans with no stops. Unfortunately, this one is with deep, historic, legally entwined consequences. Various agreements have been spun, which is not so easy to get out of," said Riga City Council Chairman Vilnis Ķirsis.
When asked if there would be enough time to install the stops by August, Ķirsis replied that he would assess the applications from the beginning and then take action. At the same time, Ķirsis admitted that there is very little time.
