Riga by public transport · Riga by public transport
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Riga by public transport
Riga by public transport
The city runs the trams (street-cars), buses and trolley buses. They all use the same e-ticket (e-talons), a single price covers any one route independent of the distance. Note that the same number may refer to a bus, a trolleybus and a tram all following different routes. Tram numbers on stops are identified by "Tr", buses (not trolleybuses) by "A".
There are several railroad lines running through the city, and Latvian railroad runs electric trains that connect the very centre of the city with suburbs and nearby towns; if you know where you need to go, it may be quite convenient to use a train, as they all go from the single central terminal and are by far the fastest public transportation mode. However, note that the trains run much less frequently during winter and that the railroad system is not integrated with the city public transportation, so in some occasions there are no tram/bus stops near a train stop in the city. See more about trains in Latvia article. Ticket prices for trains within city limits are comparable to other city public transportation modes, but they do change with distance travelled.
Taxi-bus (also called mini or march-route bus) services: operated by private companies, generally hold 10-11 people in a bus (seats only, at least officially), you must purchase the ticket onboard (cash only, approximately 0.50 LVL, depending on the operator). Usually drives by and stops at overlapping city public transportation stops, otherwise can stop anywhere were permitted, so flag it to get in, and ask driver to stop in order to get out. If a route covers the city from one end to the other, you may be asked by driver how far you go, and would have to purchase two tickets, either beforehand or at a city centre stop. The taxi-bus services are being overtaken by the city at the moment, so there may be major changes in near future, such as organizing the routes so they would less overlap with the rest of transportation.
Timetables and routes for both city transport and taxi-buses are available on the Internet. Stops are marked by a blue rectangular sign with a stylized white image of the vehicle and lists the numbers that stop there (taxi-buses are mostly unlisted). Timetables are also usually posted at stops and are fairly accurate.
Note that bus routes are marked "A", but tram and trolley bus routes are both marked "T" on timetables, except tram timetables should have red background for the "T" letter and trolley bus -- yellow. Tram lines are numbered 1-11, bus lines 1-55, trolley bus 1-27. Taxi-bus lines have numbers 2xx. There may still be some Riga region bus lines with numbers like 8xx.
Be advised that there is virtually no information on timetables, routes or connections onboard. The stops are generally announced on trams/trolley/buses, newer vehicles also include running line with next stop information (buses) or LCD screens with the list of next 4 stops (trolley buses).
Trams are generally the fastest public transportation apart from trains. Although they are on street level and the rails are not physically separated from the rest of the traffic, in all but the busiest rush hours they get their way. Taxi-buses are smaller and thus more manoeuvrable than buses and trolley buses, making them second only to trams.
"E-talons" system for trams, buses and trolley buses
Single tickets cost 0.70 LVL if bought from the driver (cash only) or 0.50 LVL, if purchased in advance. 24-hour tickets cost 1.90 LVL, 3-day tickets cost 5.70 LVL, and 5-day tickets cost 9.50 LVL. These all run from first use and cover all travel on city buses, trolleybuses, and trams. Alternatively, 5-day tickets valid only on 1 mode of transport (either the bus, trolleybus, or tram) can be bought for 6.00 LVL. Tickets are sold in ticket offices, in vending machines, in press kiosks, in Narvesen shops, and other locations listed on the website . Once inside the bus/tram/trolleybus, validate the ticket by using the yellow device. Note: you must validate the day, 3 day and 5 day tickets every time you enter public transport.
Also available in several ticketing machines in key central locations and in new trams (running on line 6) where you can buy tickets with cash or with major credit cards
Multi-ride tickets are also available. A 5 ride ticket costs 2.50 LVL, 10 rides are 4.75 LVL and 20 rides are 9.00 LVL
Also available are tickets for 2 trips for 2 people (2.00 LVL) and 2 trips for 3 people (3.00 LVL).
If you enter a tram, bus, or trolley buses with the same number and in the same direction within one hour, your ticket is still valid and will not be charged again.
The Riga Card allows the holder to travel free on public transportation.
There is a good website to search for connections and also a list of routes .
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Riga
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Riga Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.