The Competition Council (KP) will assess the state of competition in Latvia’s taxi sector, acting chairwoman Ieva Šmite said on Thursday in an interview with TV3’s “900 Seconds” program.
“We will definitely be conducting an in-depth review,” Šmite stated, adding that on the 11th of July, 2025, the KP received a formal submission, and an investigation will be launched.
She also noted that initial indications suggest that Estonia-based Bolt may currently hold a dominant market position in Latvia’s taxi industry. However, Šmite did not offer further comments at this time.
Representatives from the Latvian Light Taxi Employers’ Organization and the Latvian Public Services and Transport Workers’ Union (LAKRS) previously told news agency LETA that the industry opposes Bolt’s monopolistic position in Latvia.
Taxi sector representatives emphasized that
the Estonia-registered company Bolt is systematically pushing Latvian taxi companies out of the market
by dictating the rules of the game, thus failing to ensure fair competition.
Meanwhile, the Association for the Development of Licensed Passenger Carriers (LPKAA) previously told LETA that Bolt engages in unfair commercial practices — violating Latvia’s Commercial Law, Road Transport Law, and Accounting Law by issuing invoices in the names of third parties and applying “dynamic” pricing at its own discretion.
On the 11th of July, the LPKAA sent a letter to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB), the State Revenue Service (VID), the Consumer Rights Protection Centre (PTAC), relevant ministries, and several other institutions, requesting scrutiny of the situation surrounding the Bolt app.
Kristīne Bezerra-Kjerulfa, Bolt’s manager in Latvia, told LETA that the Bolt ride-sharing platform uses a dynamic pricing policy, which is a standard practice in the digital platform sector and complies with current regulations.
According to her,
dynamic pricing helps balance supply and demand in specific time periods and geographic zones.
“For example, when ride demand is high — during major events or rush hours — the fare is increased to encourage partner drivers to get on the road,” added the Bolt representative.
She stated that Bolt provides transparency about pricing to both consumers and partner drivers. Additionally, at the end of each ride, an invoice is automatically sent to the State Revenue Service from the Bolt system, informing tax authorities of the driver’s earnings for each trip.
Bezerra-Kjerulfa also pointed out that ride-sharing services in Latvia have been regulated for more than six years. “Despite the industry’s digitalization, traditional taxis remain present in the market and still have several advantages — for instance, access to public transport lanes and priority areas such as Riga Airport,” she added.
Bolt was founded in Estonia in 2013 by Markus Villig, who currently holds a 17.05% stake in the company. The group consists of several dozen companies, with parent company Bolt Technology holding all intellectual property rights to the Bolt apps. Most of the research and development work related to the intellectual property takes place in Estonia.
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