I’m putting this here because I wasted a stupid amount of money before figuring this out properly.
When I first moved to Riga, I used Bolt everywhere. Not because I wanted to, but because I didn’t understand the public transport system yet and everything felt unfamiliar. I told myself it was temporary. It wasn’t. I kept doing it for months.
Eventually I realised that I should stop putting off getting a public transport card. It only took me one whole semester!
Why you should get one
If you’re a student in Riga, you can get a monthly public transport card for around 12€. That gives you unlimited access to trams and buses in Riga.
Compared to using Bolt, which although cheaper than in other countries, still is WAY more expensive than using public transport. And often, it's not even quicker. Bolt rides cost from 5-12€ per ride. That's gonna run you a lot of money in the long run.
It is possible to buy one time use tickets in the Mobilly app. They are 1,5€/ticket. But think about it, if you buy one twice a day to go to university and back, it'll take only 4 days to reach the cost of a public transport card!
How to actually get one
The first step goes through myRSU, which already makes this feel more complicated than it needs to be.
Here’s the path:
myRSU
→ Applications and inquiries
→ Applications and inquiries requests (yes, twice)
→ Inquiry request → Status inquiry
Then:
Change the receiver to:
RP SIA “Rīgas Satiksme”
Change the language to Latvian
You submit this, and then you wait.
They’ll reply to your RSU Outlook email, not your personal email. When I first did this, I didn’t notice the reply for a day or two because I wasn’t checking Outlook properly yet.
Once you get the reply, you need to forward that email to:
sekretariats@rigassatiksme.lv
In the forwarded email, add:
your full name
your contact details
which client centre you plan to visit when
I went to the Origo location, which was convenient for me.
Going to the client centre
When you go to pick up the card, bring your passport.
Not your ID card.
Not your driver’s licence.
Your passport.
I’m emphasising this because I went there with my drivers license and was met with some very rude remarks about how a drivers license is not enough...
At the client centre:
After that, you’re done.
Renewing the ticket
You can renew the monthly ticket in Narvesen-stores and little ticket-renewal stations around Riga.
You have to repeat this process every semester. I know... Very annoying. But once you get your Latvian ID for the state exam you wont have to go through all the trouble...
P.S. Google Maps works well with Riga transport :) It's quite accurate
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