“Efficiency and political stubbornness should not be allowed to clash so foolishly,” said Riigikogu Economic Affairs Committee member Jaanus Marrandi (SDE).
Committee chairman Sven Sester (IRL) describes the reasoning as far-fetched. “It is the minister’s jurisdiction and regulation; the economic affairs committee cannot give the minister direct guidelines. However, IRL wants to consult its coalition partners as regards the nature of the regulation in the near future,” he said.
In simple terms: local governments that want to offer free rides to students and pensioners and retain tickets for other passengers would have to pay for the concession themselves.
Sester and Marrandi find that public transport centers and local governments need to be given greater freedom to make decisions which is something the current regulation does not facilitate.
“It is an artificial explanation,” Sester said when commenting on the Road Administration’s claim it cannot differentiate between passenger groups.
“It looks like a pretty promise on the outside; however, free public transport in the countryside is not possible with this level of financing. Starting with the fact that coaches people want to take are not limited to county lines and not everyone needs free rides,” Marrandi explained.
He finds that the ministry has chosen a peculiar path. “They seem to want to put participants in their place, instead of looking for compromises and future-proof solutions,” he said.