Public transport will be able to carry more passengers
On 15 June, the government decided that public transport operators would be able to carry more passengers in public transport vehicles. At the same time, operators will be required to ensure regular ventilation of the passenger compartment.
The new regulations provide for increasing the permitted number of passengers in public transport vehicles from the currently applicable 50% capacity limit to 65%. In turn, to ensure the mobility of residents on regional transport routes, where public transport is available less frequently and no other public transport services are available, at stops outside the terminal stops of regional transport routes operators will be able to carry more passengers, but no more than 70% of the vehicle’s capacity.
POperators will be required to display information about the permitted number of passengers in the vehicle’s passenger compartment. In vehicles where it is not possible to control passengers’ boarding and disembarking, the operator will call on passengers to observe physical distancing by occupying the vehicle’s passenger compartment evenly, without requiring the mandatory marking of seats in future.
The new regulations also stipulate that the operator must carry out regular ventilation of the public transport vehicle’s passenger compartment while at the terminal, as well as during the journey, using automatic ventilation systems or, in suitable weather conditions, opening hatches and windows and opening all doors on the passenger boarding side at stops.
Given the decline in morbidity indicators in the country, residents are increasingly choosing to travel by public transport. However, due to limited technical resources, operators are unable to ensure the transport of a larger number of residents while complying with the currently applicable 50% capacity requirement. In addition, during the pandemic, the decrease in the number of passengers and the decline in ticket revenue have caused significant losses for public transport service providers.
In a situation where morbidity indicators continue to decline and, according to the information published on the website of the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the 14-day cumulative number of Covid-19 cases is no more than 100 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, it is planned that the public transport operator will organise boarding and disembarking so that the number of passengers in the vehicle does not exceed 80% of its capacity.
Amendments have been made to Cabinet Regulation No. 360, Epidemiological Safety Measures to Limit the Spread of Covid-19 Infection.
More information - https://www.sam.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/sabiedriskaja-transporta-vares-uznemt-vairak-pasazieru
Author:
Communications Department
Ministry of Transport
