The first tax increase is about to become a reality. The government coalition that is being created has decided to abolish the free public transport launched at the initiative of the Center Party and to introduce a public transport tax, i.e. bus riders have to start paying fares. Of course, the Center Party will do everything in its power to prevent this plan from happening, but at the same time, it is sad to see how the chairman of the Socialist Party, Lauri Läänemets, who promised to stand for the welfare of rural people, allows all this to happen.
When delving into the political situation, there is actually nothing surprising about it, because Läänemets knows very well that if the socialists start making demands during negotiations, they will quickly be told “Goodbye!”. However, I have nothing to criticize Jürgen Lig (Reform Party), who was also elected to the Riigikogu, because he only goes to Järva and Viljandi County to run for office and it is known that balanced regional development does not work for him.
Luxembourg has free transport throughout the country
How much could a bus ticket start paying in Järva County? There is no complete clarity yet, but for comparison, you have to spend two euros on the county bus lines organized by the Pärnumaa public transport center when purchasing an hourly ticket for cash. A 30-day ticket costs 15 euros, which makes the annual cost for daily commuters 180 euros. I understand that it is not a significant expenditure for the leading politicians of the political parties forming the government, whose exposure to public transport is modest, but the country man counts every euro carefully in the current condition of extraordinary inflation.
Free public transport, which has been in effect in various Estonian counties for nearly five years, has become an integral part of people’s everyday life, and passengers confirmed in the news stories made by Aktuaalse kaamaera that they do not like the new government’s plan. But the leaders of the Reform Party, Estonia 200 and the Socialist Party know better.
Critics point out that free public transport does not reach every farmhouse in sparsely populated areas, and buses run half-empty on village roads, but here it must be honestly admitted that the introduction of fares does not solve this problem. The Central Party has not hid its head in the sand and we agree that public transport must keep up with the changes taking place in society and we admit that the line network needs to be reviewed in some areas. What is certain, however, is that abolishing free public transport and imposing additional burdens on people will not increase the number of passengers.
Contrary to the government’s plans, additional money and attention should be directed to free public transport and ticket-free travel should be made possible everywhere in Estonia. We should follow the example of Luxembourg, where in 2020 free public transport was introduced nationwide for both residents and tourists. This can be done on a bus, tram or train. The country, where the average salary is around 6,000 euros, is trying to use it to support low-income people and reduce the traffic burden.
The number of passengers in Järva County is increasing
After the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of users of free public transport has greatly increased. The number of validated journeys made with Tallinn’s public transport has increased by more than 30 percent when comparing the first months of 2023 with the first months of 2022. At this point, it is worth remembering that when free public transport came into force in Järva County in 2018, the annual number of passengers increased by 100,000. It is a pleasure to note that the growth continues. If in 2021 there were nearly 472,000 passengers in Järvamaa’s public transport, last year it increased to nearly 500,000. This year is also on the rise – if there were 43,500 passengers in January 2022, their number had risen to 46,600 in the first month of this year.
I was deeply moved by the recent statement by the mayor of Põhja Pärnumaa, Aivar Mäe, that the priority of the new Riigikogu should be to look beyond Tallinn and Tartu and study real life, because after ten years, when everything has collapsed, it will be too late to start thinking about how to direct people back to the countryside . Unfortunately, eliminating free public transport is the first step towards the extinction of rural life.
