Announcing the new ticket prices, a council press release said they were because the government had "never agreed to cooperate with funding Riga City Council's urban public transport" and that consequently the council was not prepared to subsidize "both those who pay taxes in Riga and those who pay taxes in other municipalities."
The move means the price of a single ticket on public transport in the capital will almost double from €0.60 to €1.15 from February.
The council argues the actual cost of a journey on the public transport system is €1.17 and that it has effectively been heavily subsidizing the service up until this point.
But with attempts to co-subsidize the costs with central government making no progress after the end of a temporary deal reached last year, the full cost will in future have to be borne by travellers.
Pensioners, schoolchildren, and people with disabilities will continue to be able to use the transport network free of charge, while other groups such a teachers and students will be entitled to substantial discounts.
