Lux Express expands in Latvia and connects to Lithuanian resorts

Last year, Lux Express reshaped the Latvian domestic market and transported 200,000 passengers. This year, the company plans to double its capacity. A new summer route will allow Estonian travelers to reach the Lithuanian resort towns of Palanga and Klaipėda via Riga.

In 2024, Lux Express transported 2.1 million passengers between Estonian cities. Including international routes, the largest mobility company in the Baltic region served a total of 3.17 million passengers last year—14.6% more than the previous year.

Lux Express, operating in four countries, focused primarily on Latvia in 2024, securing a major strategic victory in the spring. Previously, Latvia’s long-distance bus services operated entirely on state subsidies, with contracts awarded to the lowest bidders. However, Lux Express proved that high-quality and affordable transport services could be provided without government support. Thanks to this breakthrough, Lux Express launched routes from Riga to Daugavpils and Liepāja in May—Latvia’s second and third-largest cities. Alongside local passengers, these routes attracted over 10,000 tourists, many of whom traveled from Estonia and Germany.

According to Elīna Šimiņa-Neverovska, Deputy State Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Transport, Lux Express's expansion into Latvia has had a positive impact on the entire sector. "Lux Express has increased competition across the passenger transport industry, and the biggest winners are the passengers," she commented.

Ingmar Roos, Member of the Management Board at Lux Express, stated that the company has an ambitious goal for this year—to double its operational volume on Latvia’s domestic routes. "The high quality of our service, which has become standard in Estonia, has introduced a new level of quality to Latvian domestic routes, and passengers have responded positively. Demand has exceeded our expectations, and the number of travelers has grown faster than we anticipated," Roos noted.

According to him, the company's success has also caught the attention of competitors. "It's clear that other market players have started putting in more effort, which ultimately benefits the entire industry and, most importantly, the passengers."

In response to passenger demand and expectations, Lux Express will extend its Riga–Liepāja route across the border to Lithuania’s popular resort towns, Palanga and Klaipėda, starting this summer.

"This also expands travel options for Estonians, as residents of Tallinn, Narva, Tartu, and Pärnu will now be able to reach these popular holiday destinations by bus, which was previously only possible by car. The journey will be seamless, requiring just one transfer in Riga," Roos added. 

The Latvian Ministry of Transport also sees a positive impact from Lux Express's expansion plans. "The new routes to Palanga and Klaipėda, planned for the summer by this Estonian mobility company, will improve cross-border connectivity and enhance travel opportunities for residents of the Baltic region," said Deputy State Secretary Elīna Šimiņa-Neverovska.

On other international routes, Lux Express's operations have been affected by the war in Ukraine. The conflict has led to an increase in passengers on the Vilnius and Warsaw routes, while demand for the St. Petersburg route has declined significantly.