Estonia, Good for Business, Tourism, Transport

"When organizing the public the procurement, we put a lot of emphasis namely on the quality requirements, which Go Bus is also prepared to provide. We can say that Saare County will be fully serviced by new buses that are more comfortable, safer and more environmentally friendly. Hopefully the bus passengers will also be satisfied with the new buses," rural municipality mayor Madis Kallas said. 

Altogether 26 new Go Bus buses will be added to the county routes of Saaremaa island and 21 of them will use compressed natural gas (CNG) as fuel. All buses will be equipped with cameras, alcohol interlock devices and safety belts as well as air conditioners, WiFi, USB plugs and electronic information screens.

Andrei Mandla, manager of Go Bus, which has been servicing the bus routes in the east part of Saaremaa for the last decade, said the bus company is ready to take over the public transport of Saaremaa island. "We are thoroughly prepared to serve Saaremaa. All new buses will arrive on time, bus drivers have been selected and contracts have been signed, and we intend to place great emphasis on good service," Mandla said.

According to the contract, Go Bus will be responsible for keeping the buses operating on schedule and ensuring good service quality. The rural municipality of Saaremaa has to organize timetables and ticket sales. The travel cards currently in effect will also work on the new buses and it will also be possible to purchase travel cards on the bus.

The new route carriage contract between the rural municipality of Saaremaa and Go Bus will enter into force from Feb. 1, 2020 for a period of 10 years.

The residents of Saaremaa will be able to inspect the new buses at noon on Jan. 30 on the central square of Kuressaare.