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Night bus usage data shows stable demand

Night bus usage data shows stable demand

The usage of night buses operating year-round since January 2024 has remained stable. The most popular routes are Mustamäe and Lasnamäe.

Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan expressed satisfaction that, similar to larger European capitals, night buses have found their audience in Tallinn. “The pilot project for the service launched in May 2023 with four routes. Since January 2024, routes to Pääsküla and Viimsi have been added, and the buses now run year-round. The most popular routes have consistently been Mustamäe, Lasnamäe, and Vana-Pääsküla. Usage data indicates that Tallinn residents are increasingly embracing night buses,” said Järvan.

From January to April, night buses were used by an average of 1,400–1,650 people on weekends, while from May to August, the number of users exceeded 2,000 (2,150 in May, 2,440 in June, 2,500 in July, and 2,100 in August). This trend was expected, as spring and summer months see more late-night cultural and entertainment events in the city center. From September to the end of the year, night bus usage remained stable, averaging higher than in the year’s early months (1,970 in September, 2,010 in October, 1,940 in November, and 1,860 in December).

Tallinn’s Nighttime Advisor Natalie Mets stated that it is essential to continue developing night bus routes. “To collect qualitative data, we plan to conduct another user survey at the end of summer. Routes should also be reviewed and adjusted if necessary to better meet user needs. Additionally, we are considering extending bus departures on weekdays during major concerts.”

Night buses operating in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday are most frequently used between 00:30 and 02:00, with the highest number of passengers boarding at 00:30. Although the routes start at Balti Jaam, the most used stops are near Vabaduse väljak and Estonia. The number of passengers traveling to the city center on night buses has also increased.

Tallinn has six night bus routes: line no. 91 serves Mustamäe, line no.  92 Väike-Õismäe, line no.  93 Pelguranna, line no. 94 Priisle, line no. 95 Viimsi Keskus, and line no. 96 Vana-Pääsküla. The starting point for all routes is Balti Jaam at the county bus stop. Buses depart in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday from 00:30 to 03:30 at 30-minute intervals (the last departure is only outbound from Balti Jaam).

Schedules can be found at bus stops and online at http://transport.tallinn.ee.