Of these, 542 passengers were transported in Alsunga, where the service has been operating since mid-November 2025, while 262 passengers were transported in Vāne, where active use of the service began in December 2025. During this period, 198 trips were carried out in Alsunga and 118 in Vāne.
“We are pleased to see that on-demand transport is being actively used in both Alsunga and Vāne. This confirms that residents value this opportunity and that it meets their daily mobility needs. The service is most commonly used to travel to medical appointments, connect with public transport, go shopping, or access other services in nearby centres. In Alsunga, the most popular routes are Alsunga–Kuldīga and Kuldīga–Alsunga, while in Vāne, trips to Sabile and Kandava are most frequent. We also observe clear trends across the week – in Alsunga, demand is highest on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, whereas in Vāne it peaks on Tuesdays and Sundays,” explains Anna Margreta Vērdiņa, Project Manager of the SuRuMo project at the Kurzeme Planning Region.
On-demand transport is a mobility solution that combines elements of public transport and taxi services. Trips are organised based on prior booking, providing flexible, user-oriented travel between designated settlements. Residents of Alsunga can travel to Kuldīga and Jūrkalne, while residents of Vāne can travel to Kandava and Sabile, in both directions. Destinations have been defined in cooperation with local residents and based on an analysis of their mobility patterns.
The service is available daily (except on public holidays) from 04:00 to 23:00. It is not provided at the same time as regular public transport services, nor within one hour before or after them.
Trips must be booked in advance, no later than 14:00 on the previous working day, by calling the Kurzeme Planning Region Mobility Centre at +371 262 333 22 or via the “Freelway” mobile application. In the “Carpooling” section of the app, users can view already planned trips and join them as co-passengers by 14:00, thereby increasing the efficiency of each journey.
“We are seeing a very positive trend – residents are increasingly coordinating among themselves, requesting transport together and travelling jointly. This allows more passengers to be served within a single trip and ensures more efficient use of project funding, helping to extend the availability of the service. We encourage residents to continue choosing shared journeys and to make greater use of the ‘Freelway’ app, which we are continuously improving for user convenience,” adds Anna Margreta Vērdiņa.
The on-demand transport service in Alsunga and Vāne will be tested until approximately April 2026 or until the allocated pilot funding is exhausted, with the aim of evaluating its impact on mobility in rural areas.
About the project
The project “SuRuMo” (Sustainable Rural Mobility) is implemented to conduct research in pilot areas, collect and analyse data, and develop a unified digital platform, thereby finding solutions to ensure sustainable mobility in rural areas.
The project activities are carried out with the support of the Central Baltic Programme 2021–2027.
Information prepared by:
Anna Margreta Vērdiņa
Project Manager of “SuRuMo”
Kurzeme Planning Region
Tel. +371 27000178
E-mail: anna.verdina@kurzemesregions.lv
