Diena carries a
report (in Latvian) by a woman who arrived with a planeload of Italian tourists at Riga Airport. Most of them (young people) took the no. 22 bus to the city center, basically "the airport bus" . The bus was stopped by a group of public transport wardens (whose job, as in other European cities, is to check for riders without tickets) who stormed aboard, one of them waving a baton, and immediately started terrorizing the Italians, who had not paid (nor been asked to pay when buying tickets from the driver) a fee for larger luggage (n0 such charges, as far as I know, in any civilized country). There was no sign in English explaining this fee. The Italians were threatened with a 15 LVL fee (around USD 30) on their first day in Latvia.
Comments to the Diena piece indicate that this kind of barbaric, piggish scum also work on other parts of the public transport in Riga. The next time there is disorder in this city, perhaps the offices of Rīgas Satiksme (Riga Public Transport) should earn a few paving stones? :) Or better yet, that passengers throw the pig-wardens off the bus, rather than vice-versa.
The next time I read that someone has punched out a transport warden, I will not get too upset (OK, chances are, it will be some lowlife fare evader, but what the heck...).
