Currently, the first bus from Tartu to Riga departs only at 11:10 AM. At the end of last year, the city authorities planned to hold a competition among carriers and temporarily support the early route with taxpayer funds. However, this idea has now been abandoned. "This is related to changes in the economic situation that force us to take a broader look at the state of affairs. Additionally, the revenues to the city budget turned out to be lower than expected, so we have to evaluate more carefully how to spend city money," explained city secretary Jüri Melder. **There Were Not Enough Passengers** In December, two companies—A-buss and Lux Express—showed interest in servicing the subsidized route. Lux Express had previously operated commercial routes from Riga to Tartu with early morning departures. Currently, Lux Express operates two trips a day between Tartu and Riga; however, the carrier does not plan to resume the early morning trip without financial support from the city. As noted by the company's director Ingmar Roos, there are not enough passengers for this. According to the company's statistics, from January to May, the most in-demand routes between Tartu and Riga had an average of about 20 passengers, while less popular routes had fewer than ten. In June to August, during the peak tourist season, passenger traffic increased by about 30 people a day, but at the beginning of September, it began to decline again. "20 passengers on the Tartu—Riga route is about 30% less than the level at which a bus carrier could service the route solely based on ticket sales revenue," Roos noted. **A Morning Train May Replace the Bus** Nevertheless, early morning service between Tartu and Riga may be provided by the railway in the future. The Estonian state passenger train operator Elron plans to supplement the existing evening train from Tartu to Riga with a morning train on the Tallinn—Tartu—Riga route in the first half of next year. As reported by Elron's press service head Kristo Mäe, this will be possible after new Škoda electric trains begin to operate on the Tallinn—Tartu line. The company Eesti Raudtee, which manages Estonia's railway infrastructure, informed Elron that the new trains on this route could start being used from January. However, exact timelines have not yet been determined. Currently, Elron operates one train a day from Tartu to Riga—in the evening. In the opposite direction, from Riga to Tartu, the train departs in the morning.
