Latvian Rail Ticketing

[rg177]

I've been to Latvia several times over the past few years - its generally been a cheap and simple country to get around by train. They had a 'Viliciens' app which was very basic but sold you what you wanted (with an English option) and even did a small discount for buying in the app.

Since the rebrand to 'Vivi', it all seems to have got rather more complicated. For one, they've replaced the app with one which now requires both email and phone number registration. The latter appears to not work at all with foreign numbers, so the app is as good as useless to tourists. It has an extremely low review score on Google Play due to a combination of that and it being extremely glitchy even if you do somehow manage to get into it. Mercifully, the Vivi website will sell you a ticket without the need to register.

I'm also rather confused by ticketing on the new trains as they all have validators by the doors. There appears to be an obligation to 'register' your journey - but the tickets purchased on the website refuse to scan on the machine. I waited for a telling off from the conductor who just scanned my ticket and moved on, so I don't know if this 'requirement' applies to multi-journey tickets only, or if a conductor scan is as good as a validation.

It's great to see the railway modernising, but this seems like a both confusing (in regards to the validation requirement) and downright bad (app that doesn't work) move in the wrong direction with ticketing. I don't know if anyone's had any luck with the app here, or can shed any further light on the mysterious need to validate tickets?

 

[Vexed]

I had a broadly similar experience last month, using the Mobilly app instead of Vivi (Mobilly does buses/trams in Riga as well as trains). I could only sign up using a Latvian number, and luckily I had a Latvian eSIM but the two others I was with didn't so I had to buy three of everything.

I'm also rather confused by ticketing on the new trains as they all have validators by the doors. There appears to be an obligation to 'register' your journey - but the tickets purchased on the website refuse to scan on the machine

Are these the circular scanners which I think are for smartcards? I didn't use them for the eTickets I got from the app and similarly had no issues with the conductor. Generally, compostage/validation isn't required in Europe with eTickets.

Separately on the busses in Riga we could easily validate the 90 minute tickets (1.50 euro!) by scanning a QR code on the bus. Most locals were using a smartcard which I assume is pre-loaded. I think validation is needed here so you can prove when you got on a bus if you stay on after 90 minutes.

The Mobilly app was very clear with the need for validation for bus tickets and said nothing about train tickets so I assume it's correct rail eTickets don't need validation.

 

[rg177]

I had a broadly similar experience last month, using the Mobilly app instead of Vivi (Mobilly does buses/trams in Riga as well as trains). I could only sign up using a Latvian number, and luckily I had a Latvian eSIM but the two others I was with didn't so I had to buy three of everything.

Are these the circular scanners which I think are for smartcards? I didn't use them for the eTickets I got from the app and similarly had no issues with the conductor. Generally, compostage/validation isn't required in Europe with eTickets.

Separately on the busses in Riga we could easily validate the 90 minute tickets (1.50 euro!) by scanning a QR code on the bus. Most locals were using a smartcard which I assume is pre-loaded. I think validation is needed here so you can prove when you got on a bus if you stay on after 90 minutes.

The Mobilly app was very clear with the need for validation for bus tickets and said nothing about train tickets so I assume it's correct rail eTickets don't need validation.

It's funny you mention Mobilly as that's what I've used for the Urban transport in Rīga - it doesn't even occur to me to try train tickets in that. Though, bizarrely, that app happily accepted my UK number!

I've witnessed some scanning paper tickets on the circular machines you describe - as there appears to be something bolted on the side of them designed to read barcodes.

 

[stadler]

I've been to Latvia several times over the past few years - its generally been a cheap and simple country to get around by train. They had a 'Viliciens' app which was very basic but sold you what you wanted (with an English option) and even did a small discount for buying in the app.

Since the rebrand to 'Vivi', it all seems to have got rather more complicated. For one, they've replaced the app with one which now requires both email and phone number registration. The latter appears to not work at all with foreign numbers, so the app is as good as useless to tourists. It has an extremely low review score on Google Play due to a combination of that and it being extremely glitchy even if you do somehow manage to get into it. Mercifully, the Vivi website will sell you a ticket without the need to register.

I'm also rather confused by ticketing on the new trains as they all have validators by the doors. There appears to be an obligation to 'register' your journey - but the tickets purchased on the website refuse to scan on the machine. I waited for a telling off from the conductor who just scanned my ticket and moved on, so I don't know if this 'requirement' applies to multi-journey tickets only, or if a conductor scan is as good as a validation.

It's great to see the railway modernising, but this seems like a both confusing (in regards to the validation requirement) and downright bad (app that doesn't work) move in the wrong direction with ticketing. I don't know if anyone's had any luck with the app here, or can shed any further light on the mysterious need to validate tickets?

According to this it seems that they have indeed introduced some stupid validation requirement for both app tickets and paper tickets purchased from ticket offices:

I presume that from your observations they are not bothering to enforce this yet but it is unclear if there will eventually be any penalty fare for not scanning your ticket.

It seems so ridiculous. One thing i hate about Mainland European ticketing is the annoying validation requirement. I am not sure what they are trying to achieve by this as it is just making things more complex.

I presume there is no validation requirement for tickets purchased from guard. You can buy a ticket from the guard with no surcharge if boarding at a station without a ticket office. Even if there is an open ticket office then the surcharge is only EUR1.00 for buying onboard.

 

[rg177]

I did end up standing there and translating the sign by the validator - which seems to say that a scan from the conductor is the same as using that machine. I don't know if this is to avoid misuse of multi-journey passes on short hops where the conductor won't get around, but I encountered five different conductors yesterday and none of them questioned it, nor did they question anyone else.

It's hardly something they can implement consistently in any case until the DR1 fleet is replaced, as these trains don't have validators at all. By then hopefully the machines will work out how to scan eTickets and the app won't be a broken mess.