Car Sharing in Riga

Riga is home to many interesting places and picturesque landscapes. Of course, public transport can take you to these spots, but it is faster and more comfortable in the car. You can listen to music, have breaks, and generally plan your journey more flexibly.

Using car sharing

At home, like many other students, I am used to driving to most places in the car. So, I was very happy when I realised that car sharing in Riga is very popular and readily available. This is a service which allows you to rent a car for a short journey of a few minutes, or for several hours, without loads of documents and complicated procedures. After uploading your driving licence and another form of ID to the app, you can then login anytime to see what cars are near you, choose one, open the car and drive it! Another definite plus of using car sharing is the parking. You can park in any area of Riga that has no restrictions, which is actually a lot of places! And these spots are clearly highlighted in the app.

Cheaper than a taxi, more comfortable than a bus

There are several car sharing services available in the Latvian capital. The three most popular ones, with a large number of cars, are Citybee, Carguru and Bolt Drive. For the former, an hour’s car rental costs €5.50 plus 30 cents per kilometre, or for the whole day it comes to only €20. For the second, the cost is from 30 cents per minute, or from €50 for a whole day. And for the latter, Bolt Drive, car rental will cost from 14 cents per minute. This is my personal favourite since it’s the most budget-friendly and always has cars available nearby. There are more details on their respective websites and all information is available in English, which is convenient for tourists. In general, it comes out cheaper than a taxi. However, car sharing may not be available for citizens of some countries. For example, students from the United States could not register in the app.

Traveling with friends

The first time we used car sharing in Riga we went to Mežaparks. This large park is home to a beautiful pine forest, lots of paths for jogging and cycling, a beautiful open-air concert arena, and the thing which we loved the most – a lake. The water there is much warmer than in the Baltic Sea. So, we took our swimsuits and towels and found the nearest available car through the app and drove there. Also, considering there were five of us in the car, it was a very cheap journey. Another day we used Bolt Drive to go to the beach in Jurmala, and since it’s a longer day out we rented the car for the whole day. I also once took my friend to the airport through the car sharing service which was much quicker and easier than using the bus. The list of places to visit in Riga is endless if you can use a car – Sigulda, beaches in Vecaki and Saulkrasti, ancient castles and small towns. For new students of Liden & Denz, I highly recommend this convenient and cheap service for road trips around Latvia.

Izzy, currently studying Russian at Liden and Denz Riga.