Riga Prepares New Discounts and Free Travel: Who Will Receive Benefits? 0 9

On Friday, December 12, a meeting of the Transport and Traffic Committee of the Riga City Council will take place, during which the deputies will consider amendments to the mandatory rules regarding travel fare discounts in the public transport route network of Riga.

The amendments stipulate that participants in the national resistance movement will be granted a 100% discount on the ticket price. Until now, the existing rules allowed only those resistance participants registered in Riga to travel for free on the capital's public transport.

After the amendments are adopted, free travel will also be available to resistance movement participants registered in other municipalities.

It is also planned to establish a 50% discount for technical staff of social institutions subordinate to the Department of Welfare, provided their weekly workload is at least 20 hours.

Currently, such benefits are provided for social workers, caregivers, medical personnel, educators, and nannies working in institutions under the Department of Welfare.

In addition to the previously established dates when all passengers can travel for free on public transport in Riga, it is proposed to allow free travel on the first day of the school year.

The possibility of free travel for Ukrainian refugees is also extended until June 30 of the following year. Currently, these benefits are valid until the end of 2025.

As stated in the explanatory note to the draft amendments, providing travel benefits to participants in the national resistance movement will cost the municipality €43,567.

Discounts for technical staff of social institutions under the Department of Welfare may cost €136,254.

Free travel on the first day of the school year will cost the municipality €707,057, while extending free travel for Ukrainian refugees for six months will amount to €3.5 million.

The final decision on the amendments to the mandatory rules must be made by the Riga City Council.