The survey conducted by the Ministry of Transport (MoT) on the motivation of the population to use public transport more shows that the availability of transport is the most motivating factor: it is important to have different types of public transport in one place and to be able to park one's private vehicle for free. Visitors to the conversation festival LAMPA also recognize availability as a key factor to use public transport more often. On the other hand, caring for the environment is a motivation for only a small part of the surveyed population, especially young people.
"We vote for convenience - convenient transfer from a private car to public transport, suitable routes and comfortable movement. This is exactly the goal of the changes implemented in the field of public transport, including the greening reform of the Riga and Pieriga public transport system initiated within the framework of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), as well as already implemented and planned projects financed by EU funds in the field of transport. The answers of citizens clearly show that available and convenient public transport is stimulus towards achieving European green goals", admits Jānis Kalniņš, Deputy Director of the Department of Public Transport Services at the Ministry of Transport.
Respondents listed what would motivate them to use public transport more on a daily basis – availability of various types of transport in one place and possibility to leave a car or bicycle in the parking lot for free (50% of responses). Suitability of public transport routes was indicated as the next important aspect (48%) and modern and comfortable public transport (38%). On the other hand, caring for the environment would motivate only a small part of the population (14%).
People living in Pierīga emphasized the availability of different types of public transport in one place and the possibility to park their vehicle for free (Pierīga residents - 62%, on average - 50%). "The planned six mobility points in Riga and Pieriga as part of the RRF reform will be what the residents would expect most, especially in Pieriga", comments Jānis Kalniņš.
The respondents' gender, age, place of residence and income level did not affect the answers in general, they are similar in all population groups. At the same time, there are exceptions, for example, although caring for the environment was indicated as a motivation in general by a small number of respondents (14%), it is an important aspect for respondents aged 18 to 29 (26%). Comfort and convenience are also a more important aspect for younger people (51% for young people, on average - 38%).
This year, during the conversation festival LAMPA, MoT organised a tent - "Sustainable Mobility Stop" and invited the visitors to express their opinion on the motivation to use public transport more often. The collected results show that to have different types of public transport available in one place and to be able to leave their car or bicycle in a free parking space (38%) predominates. Comfortable public transport (24%) and public transport routes suitable for daily needs (19%) are also important. Caring for the environment was indicated by a relatively small number of visitors (11%) as the most important aspect.
The visitors of the festival mentioned night public transport, new routes in cities and regions, the availability of a single ticket, discounts for students, families with two children and schoolchildren who use public transport for excursions - other factors that would encourage them to use public transport more. People also indicated what improvements are needed to make it easier to get on and off public transport.
"Implementation of changes in the field of public transport, aimed at providing greater convenience to passengers, requires time and significant financial investments. Therefore, changes are introduced gradually - step by step, ensuring the integration of all planned activities. As an example, I would like to mention the development of the unified ticket system, which gives the opportunity to buy one ticket to be used for the journey to the destination with different modes of transport. Last year, it started to be implemented on bus routes of regional importance, this year the first train route Riga-Skulte was added. It is planned that other bus and train routes will be gradually added to the system this year. On the other hand, the new electric trains will ensure more convenient boarding and alighting", explains the representative of MoT.
The survey this year conducted by the company Norstat in May and a total of 1004 respondents took part in the survey. It was conducted with the support of Technical Assistance funding to the Ministry of Transport as the responsible institution for European Union funds in the 2021-2027 planning period of the European Union Cohesion Policy Program.
660 visitors expressed their opinion in the survey conducted during the conversation festival LAMPA. Respondents could choose more than one factor that would motivate them to use public transport more often.
