Bus protest may disrupt 846 services across Latgale

A passenger transport protest disrupted bus services across Latgale on Wednesday, with about 846 services potentially not running, LSM reported. Several operators suspended services in Augšdaugava Municipality, the Rēzekne and Ludza areas, and around Daugavpils.

Ilūkste bus station falls silent

At the Ilūkste bus station, buses remained in the parking area and there were no passengers. A bus scheduled to leave for Bebrene at 7.40am and another to Daugavpils five minutes later did not depart. The 6am bus to the direction of Riga was also cancelled.

Seventeen services from Ilūkste were not operated during the morning. Neither Daugavpils Autobus Park nor Hansabuss buses ran in Augšdaugava Municipality throughout the day. Both operators took part in the protest.

Some residents had been informed about the action and had adjusted their plans. One woman who arrived at the bus station to travel to Daugavpils called her colleagues and went to work by car instead.

One Ilūkste resident said the government should change something, including compensation and fares, because travel was expensive for people commuting to work. Another said his wife’s son had wanted to travel to Subate but was unable to do so and had to stay at home.

Unlike a protest a year ago that lasted about an hour, transport operators were protesting throughout the day this time. Ilūkste residents said they could tolerate a one-day protest, but a longer interruption would cause much more serious problems, particularly for people without cars, schoolchildren and those who rely on regional buses to get to work.

Most passengers in Rēzekne unaware of protest

Rēzekne also saw little activity at its bus station, where passenger buses normally run one after another from early morning. The area outside a nearby supermarket was also quiet, although rural residents usually shop there before returning home.