Rīgas Satiksme

Infobox Company
company_name = Rīgas Satiksme
company_
company_type = state-owned company
foundation = 2003
location_city = flagicon|Latvia Riga
location_country = Latvia
area_served = Riga
industry = Public transportation
parent = N/A
homepage = [http://www.rigassatiksme.lv www.rigassatiksme.lv]

Rīgas Satiksme is a publicly owned body which operates public transport and vehicle hire in the Latvian capital Riga and its surrounding areas. The organisation's principal activities involve the operation of the city's 460 buses, 318 trolleybuses and 252 trams cite web |title=Interesting facts about public transport in 2005 |url=http://www.rigassatiksme.lv/index.php?sadala=598&id=489 |work=Rīgas Satiksme |accessdate=2007-06-12] . It is also responsible for the operation of the city's car parks. It currently employs some 6500 staff members.cite web |title=About us |url=http://www.rigassatiksme.lv/?sadala=319 |work=Rīgas Satiksme |accessdate=2007-06-12]

History

Rīgas Satiksme was formed on 20 February 2003cite web |title=About us |url=http://www.rigassatiksme.lv/?sadala=319 |work=Rīgas Satiksme |accessdate=2007-06-12] as an umbrella organisation for the respective operators of trams, buses and trolleybuses in the city of Riga. Two years later, the separate operators of the different modes of public transport were merged together and re-branded as Rīgas Satiksme, making it the largest provider of public transport in Riga.

Buses

In 1924, the first buses were placed into service in Riga, initially operated by private companies, although by 1941 all buses in the city were taken over by the state. In the years between the end of World War II and the break up of the Soviet Union, buses were under the control of the Ministry of Road Transport and latterly the city's Executive Committee. The 1960s saw vast improvement in the bus network, with the building of a new central bus station and the introduction of new Ikarus vehicles. In 1970, conductors were replaced by automatic ticket machines as the principal method of fare collection, although conductors were re-introduced in 1996. Until 1992, the bus network comprised two separate entities, and both were in desperate need of modernisation as they were re-structured into one single oragnisation. 1997 saw the introduction of new Mercedes-Benz vehicles, and the bus network has seen steady modernisation thereafter.

As of 2005, Rīgas Satiksme was responsible for the operation of some 460 buses on a total of 57 routes cite web |title=Traffic schedules |url=http://bus.rigassatiksme.lv/m.asp?M=3&diena=&k=1 |work=Rīgas Satiksme |accessdate=2007-06-12] across the city and its suburbs, as well as 15 regional routes connecting Riga with its surrounding towns cite web |title=Traffic schedules |url=http://bus.rigassatiksme.lv/m.asp?M=3&diena=&k=1 |work=Rīgas Satiksme |accessdate=2007-06-12] . Buses are by far the most modern mode of public transport in the city, with a variety of models in service, including many newly delivered articulated and rigid vehicles built by Solaris (Urbino), Mercedes-Benz (Citaro, O345) and brand new Ikarus buses for regional routes, although many older Ikarus vehicles are still used in everyday service. As of 2007, all old Ikarus vehicles have been removed from everyday service.

Bus routes

Livery

Trolleybuses are painted in the same two tone blue and white livery as buses, although some are in special overall advertising liveries.

Trams

Trams have been in operation in Riga longer than any other mode of public transport, with the first horse-drawn trams entering service in 1882. In 1900, it was agreed that a number of electric tram lines would be built in the city, the construction of which continued until the outbreak of World War I. Operation of the tramways remained largely unchanged until 1918 and the emergence for the first time of Latvia as an independent nation, when a Belgian company took over. This period of private ownership was deemed a failure, and the city authorities regained control of the tram network in 1931. World War II devastated Riga's public transport system, and it was gradually re-built to its current level cite web |title=History of trams in Riga |url=http://www.rigassatiksme.lv/index.php?sadala=321&id=238 |work=Rīgas Satiksme |accessdate=2007-06-16] .

Trams remain of the principal modes of transport in Riga, with Rīgas Satiksme operating almost 300 units on 11 routes across the city cite web |title=Traffic schedules |url=http://bus.rigassatiksme.lv/m.asp?M=3&diena=&k=1 |work=Rīgas Satiksme |accessdate=2007-06-12] . The bulk of journeys on the tram network are operated by fairly elderly Tatra T3 units, which have been in service in Riga since long before Latvia became independent of the Soviet Union in 1991.

In 2002, Rīgas Vagonbūves Rūpnīca signed an agreement with the Mayor of Riga which will see the company replace the trams in Riga once their period of operation ends in 2010. The new trams are set to offer enhanced comfort and safety, as well as being far quieter than the city's current fleet of elderly Tatra units. According to RVR they will feature bright and spacious interiors and will be 20-30% more power efficient than their predecessors. The new units are expected to be produced at a rate of 15-20 per year and will result in a gradual phasing out of the Tatra tramcarscite web |title=trams |url=http://www.rvr.lv/ru/3_2_1.html |work=RVR |accessdate=2007-07-12] .

Tram lines

Livery

Most trams are painted in regular Rīgas Satiksme two-tone blue and white livery, although some are in special overall advertising liveries.

Fares

A flat fare of LVL 0.40 per single journey (LVL 0.50, if buying ticket from tram driver) is currently in operation by Rīgas Satiksme within the city boundaries. This applies to all bus, tram and trolleybus services. Fares on the regional bus routes range from LVL 0.40 to LVL 1.40 per single journey cite web |title=Tickets |url=http://www.rigassatiksme.lv/?sadala=327 |work=Rīgas Satiksme |accessdate=2007-06-12] .

The method of fare collection on public transport in Riga has, since 1996cite web |title=Conductors|url=http://www.rigassatiksme.lv/index.php?sadala=321&id=237|work=Rīgas Satiksme |accessdate=2007-06-14] , been by conductor, and indeed this practise is still widespread on buses operated by Rīgas Satiksme. On the city's trams and trolleybuses, conductors have been phased out, and now passengers are required to pay their fare directly to the driver and composter their tickets with one of the composters in the tram or trolleybus. This has happened, because of lack of workers who would ever work as conductors. Tickets are also available for purchase from some news kiosks (newsagents) like Narvesen, Preses apvienība, Pluspunkts and others.

It's also possible to buy monthly tickets, which are valid for: one month, all the week's workdays and holidays, for a week.

Other services

Car parking

Rīgas Satiksme took over the operation of car parks in Riga in 2005, the first of which was built in 1993 to introduce parking charged to the city. Electric parking meters were introduced in 1994 with the assistance of both Riga City Council and local authorities in Helsinki, Finland. Since 1996, the operation of car parks has gone hand-in-hand with the responsibility of the removal of illegally parked vehicles in the city. In 2001, it was decided that vehicular access to the city centre would be allowed only through use of a smart card, and such cards were later introduced as a method of payment for parking. A system of parking charges by SMS was introduced by Rīgas Satiksme in 2005cite web |title=Car parking in Riga |url=http://www.rigassatiksme.lv/index.php?sadala=321&id=239 |work=Rīgas Satiksme |accessdate=2007-06-16] .

Vehicle rental

Vehicle rental, initially operated by SIA Rīgas domes autobāze, was set up in 1992 with the main goal of providing vehicles to Riga City Council, although it now offers rental services to the general public. Operated by Rīgas Satiksme since 2005, the service currently boasts 180 rental vehicles, comprising cars, minibuses, coaches and ambulances cite web |title=Vehicle rental in Riga |url=http://www.rigassatiksme.lv/index.php?sadala=321&id=240 |work=Rīgas Satiksme |accessdate=2007-06-16] .

Problems

Although the public transport network is generally well integrated and efficient, several problems can be noted in the day-to-day operation of the system. Issues concerning passenger safety arise from the layout of the tramway on many streets in Riga, whereby the tram lines are positioned in the centre of the road, with a lane of motor traffic on either side. As a result, it is necessary for passengers to cross the road in front of moving vehicles when boarding or alighting tramcars, although it is widely accepted that motor vehicles should stop behind stationary trams. As in any city of this size, public transport can become very crowded at peak times, and capacity boards on Tatra T3 tram cars show that as many as 167 standing passengers can be accommodated at any one time. This situation is not helped by the current system of fare collection on the trams, where passengers pay the driver at the front of the tram and then have to move to the middle of the tramcar to have their ticket stamped by a machine (a composter). There are also great problems with fare evasion on trams. Most units consist of two separate tram cars joined together, and since only the front car is manned, people can simply board the rear car and not pay the fare. This is possible due to the lack of conductors currently employed on trams in the city. Staff safety is also a problem on the Rīgas Satiksme network. On the trams, drivers do not have a vault to place money into, rather the money is placed into grooves on the dashboard. The driver's cab on the tram is not covered, making theft and assault easy. This problem is also evident on buses and trolleybuses with conductors placing money in an open pouch. Finally, although Rīgas Satiksme employees are issued with uniforms, they are not required to wear them and it can therefore be difficult to distinguish employees from passengers.

References

External links

* [http://www.rigassatiksme.lv/?setl=2 Rīgas Satiksme]