Riga is preparing the largest bus fleet update in recent years: up to 210 new buses, including electric buses, may hit the city's streets.
The municipal enterprise Rīgas satiksme has announced a tender for the supply of 120 buses - it is planned to purchase 60 electric buses and 60 diesel buses. The tender provides Rīgas satiksme the right to place an additional order for another 30–90 electric buses within 32 months from the date of contract signing.
All new buses are planned to be 18 meters long.
The tender specifies requirements for the technical parameters of the vehicles, safety, accessibility, energy efficiency, and maintenance. The deadline for submitting proposals is July 1, 2026.
The interiors will include solutions that facilitate daily maintenance and cleaning, including new seat upholstery materials that differ from those currently used. The new buses are also planned to be equipped with closed driver cabins to ensure safer and more ergonomic working conditions.
Proposals will be evaluated based on several criteria, including price, electricity or fuel consumption, warranty periods, and for diesel buses, also exhaust emission indicators, in order to select the most economically advantageous offer in the long term.
Currently, the Rīgas satiksme bus fleet has more than 400 buses, a significant portion of which are older than the 12 years designated for operation and have already exhausted their resource. Some vehicles have been in operation for 20 years or more, which significantly increases maintenance costs and reduces efficiency.
As previously reported, ten potential bus manufacturers have expressed interest in the tender during market research, some of which are ready to supply both diesel buses and electric buses. It is estimated that the cost of 120 buses will be approximately 60–65 million euros. To purchase the buses, the enterprise plans to take a loan from a bank and will also consider the possibility of attracting funding from European Union funds for electric buses.
