Lux Express is bringing double-decker buses to the Tallinn–Tartu route

Lux Express is making the biggest investment of the past decade in the Tallinn–Tartu route – 6 million euros – and will introduce double-decker buses to the route starting May 26. As a result of this upgrade, 500 additional seats will be added daily to meet the growing passenger demand between the two cities.

The Neoplan Skyliner buses, specially adapted for the Estonian market and equipped with 63 seats, will begin serving passengers on May 26. All nine new buses will operate exclusively on the Tallinn–Tartu route, departing on the hour – starting at 6 a.m. from Tartu and 7 a.m. from Tallinn. Throughout the day, the buses will make over 30 trips in both directions.

“Passenger numbers have increased, and during peak hours we've seen situations where all tickets are sold out. The addition of 500 extra seats per day should help solve the increasingly pressing issue where people are left without bus tickets during popular times or have to stand for hours on overcrowded trains,” explained Ingmar Roos, member of the management board at Lux Express.

In the first three months of this year, Lux Express buses transported nearly 170,000 passengers between Tallinn and Tartu – over 10,000 more than during the same period last year. While previous growth was largely due to railway construction works, this year the demand has remained high even without external influencing factors.

“This is the largest investment in our company’s history, aimed at offering a more sustainable, higher-capacity, and better-planned service. The double-decker buses not only increase our passenger capacity – they also add clear value to the entire mobility system by reducing peak-time congestion and improving access to high-quality transport,” Roos added.

In addition to more seating, the upgrade brings environmental and logistical benefits – more people can travel per trip, helping to reduce the total number of buses on the roads and easing pressure on other modes of transport.