Riga’s Experience with Carpooling and Transport on Demand

Overall, the SuRuMo project has progressed well. On 1 December 2025, carpooling was introduced as the first mobility solution to be tested, followed by Transport on Demand from 20 April 2026 as an alternative mobility option. Carpooling was used actively at the beginning, although the level of activity varied between pilot areas. As no geographical restrictions were imposed on the service, people from other municipalities also attempted to use it. Nevertheless, the main objective was achieved, as passengers were successfully matched with drivers travelling to the same destination.

Transport on Demand was initially planned to be tested in four pilot areas – Lapsas, Dzērumi, Ķemeri and Lēdurga. However, due to various circumstances, testing was carried out in two pilot areas – Lapsas and Dzērumi. Lapsas became the project’s “super-pilot”, as residents made extensive use of the Transport on Demand service. A particularly positive aspect was that residents mainly used the “Freelway” app to book trips rather than calling by phone. Most phone calls were related to technical issues, such as the application not working properly or users needing clarification about certain functions.

Dzērumi was the second pilot area where Transport on Demand was tested as an alternative mobility solution. Residents of Lapsas mainly travelled to the nearby centre of Piņķi, where they had access to a wider range of mobility options and services. In Dzērumi, the service was not used as actively as in Lapsas for various reasons. Residents mainly travelled to Ķekava, the administrative centre of the municipality, where they could access a wider range of mobility options, workplaces and other services.

Overall, the project objectives were achieved. At the same time, the testing showed that the Riga Planning Region does not fully correspond to the characteristics of a rural region, unlike the pilot areas of some of the other project partners. Mobility challenges in the Pierīga area are often related to missing or insufficient infrastructure and public transport timetables that are not sufficiently adapted to residents needs. Our pilot areas are also very unique, diverse and require different mobility solutions. In particular, pilot areas located closer to Riga require a broader and more integrated approach to mobility, including appropriately adapted public transport services, especially in Lapsas.

The first trip in Lapsas took place on 20 April 2026, while in Dzērumi the first trip took place on 27 May 2026. From 20 April to 31 July this year, a total of 9772.88 km were driven in Lapsas. In Dzērumi, 211.75 km were driven between 27 May and 31 July this year. In July, an average of 10 trips per day were requested in Lapsas, while in Dzērumi, only 1 trip per day was requested on average. The average trip distance was 10.5 km in Lapsas and 15.5 km in Dzērumi.