Ecolines Explained

Ecolines
Headquarters:	Riga, Latvia
Service Area:	Europe
Service Type:	Intercity bus service
Stops:	205 in 20 countries^[1]
Hubs:	Riga International Coach Terminal
Fleet:	Over 200 buses
Operator:	12 coach companies

Ecolines is a brand of intercity bus service in Central and Eastern Europe, with operations by several carriers. Ecolines has a fleet of over 200 buses, with international routes primarily served by single-and double-decker coaches manufactured by MAN Truck & Bus, Neoplan and Setra.^[2]

History

Ecolines was founded in Latvia in 1993 as Norma-A.^[3]

In 2017, Norma-A, the operator of Ecolines-branded buses in Latvia, acquired 10 new buses for €4 million.^[4]

Accidents

• In December 2004, an Ecolines bus traveling from Moscow to Riga slid off an icy road in the Jekabpils district and flipped over, killing ten passengers.^{[5] [6]}
• In September 2013, an Ecolines bus traveling between Moscow and Riga crashed into another bus in Russia, killing nine people.^[7]
• In August 2018, an Ecolines bus crashed in Belarus after the driver fell asleep at the wheel; there were no injuries.^[8]
• In December 2019, an Ecolines bus traveling from St. Petersburg to Riga went off road, injuring nine people.^{[9] [10]}

Operating companies

• Amron (Russia)
• Avtobus-Tur (Belarus)
• Ecolines Estonia (Estonia)
• Norma-A (Latvia)
• TRANSINESTA (Lithuania)
• AutoLux (Ukraine)

Notes and References

1. Web site: About ECOLINES . Ecolines.
2. Web site: ECOLINES buses . Ecolines.
3. News: Ecolines starp Baltijas valstīm pārvadā par 13% vairāk pasažieru . Ecolines transports 13% more passengers between the Baltic States . . 3 June 2015 . lv.
4. News: Ecolines par 4 miljoniem eiro iegādājies 10 jaunus autobusus . Ecolines bought 10 new buses for 4 million euros . . 7 April 2017 . lv.
5. News: Bus crash kills 10 people and injures dozens in Latvia . . . 1 January 2005.
6. News: Bus tragedy takes lives of nine New Year tourists . . 6 January 2005.
7. News: Riga-Moscow bus collides with another bus in Russia; 9 people killed . . 8 September 2013.
8. News: Passenger bus headed to Estonian capital crashes in Belarus . . 3 August 2018.
9. News: Reasons behind Ecolines bus crash in Estonia remain unknown . . 30 December 2019.
10. News: Bus carrying nearly 70 passengers crashes, rolls off Tallinn-Narva highway . . 29 December 2019.