Public transport in Tallinn consists of bus, tram, trolleybus, train and ferry services. Bus, tram and trolleybus routes are mainly operated by Tallinna Linnatranspordi AS. Electric train services are offered by Elron, and the ferry service to Aegna island is operated by Kihnu Veeteed.
Tram, trolleybus and bus services used to be divided between Tallinna Autobussikoondis (bus services) and TTTK (tram and trolleybus lines), but these companies were merged into Tallinna Linnatranspordi AS (TLT) in 2012.
Tallinn is the only city in Estonia to have ever used trams or trolleybuses. The first tram route was opened in 1888. Trolleybuses were first planned for Tallinn in 1946, but their first route began to operate in 1965. Since then, the trolleybus network has been expanded to nine routes, until it was scaled back again. Trolleybus routes were closed in 2000, 2012, 2015, and 2017, leaving only four lines remaining.
A light rail service in Tallinn has been planned since the 1970s. The project halted when Estonia became independent of the Soviet Union, but in the 2000s, the planning resumed. The light rail would start in the city centre, usually at Vabaduse väljak (Freedom Square) or Viru keskus (Viru shopping centre) and finish in East Lasnamäe, having between 10 and 12 stations.
All trains leave from the Balti jaam, which is the main rail station of Tallinn, located near the Baltic Sea. Elron offers local EMU services to Keila, Paldiski, and Turba (works for extension to Haapsalu are currently in progress) in the west and Aegviidu in the east, as well as DMU services to Pärnu (closed), Viljandi, Tartu, and Narva, replacing Edelaraudtee on these lines since January 2014. Trains make up the backbone of fast transportation from the city centre to Nõmme, the southernmost city district of Tallinn.
Tallinn's Public Transportation Map with Main Routes and Timetable
The official map of Tallinn's public transportation of 2020 can't be shared on Wikipedia because of copyright issues, but it can be seen here: https://visittallinn.ee/static/files/010/transportation_map_2020_eng.jpg.
The Tallinn public transportation timetable is available in seven languages online: Estonian, English, Finnish, Russian, German, Latvian and Lithuanian. The Timetable also has a built-in journey planner and a live map view of the vehicles' location. The Timetable in English can be seen from here: https://transport.tallinn.ee/#/en.
The Commuter train timetable and journey planner can be seen here: https://elron.ee/en.
Systems
Bus
Internal
The main bus terminal in Tallinn is located under Viru Keskus, in the city centre, where 14 out of 72 bus routes start. Other major terminal stations include Väike-Õismäe, Keskuse, Seli, Balti jaam, Priisle, Kadaka, Vana-Pääsküla, Estonia and Kopli. New public transportation terminals are planned for Lilleküla called Kristiine HUB (between current train station and Kristiine keskus) and Ülemiste (between current Ülemiste train station, T1 Mall of Tallinn and Ülemiste keskus).
Bus routes are available throughout Tallinn, especially in Pirita, Lasnamäe, Haabersti and Nõmme. Regular commuter trains go through the Nõmme district, which Elron operates, but the system is somewhat inefficient since no bus line is presently designed to be a "feeder line" for the commuter trains in Nõmme.
The routes and timetables are set by Tallinna Transpordiamet (Tallinn Department of Transportation), and the contracts are renewed every five years. The route numbers in Tallinn consist of one or two numbers, occasionally accompanied by a letter A or B. These letters are usually used when two (or three) bus routes use mostly the same trajectory but have different terminuses, for example there are bus routes 18 and 18A which both start from the same bus terminus and follow the same trajectory but have different end terminus. There has also been a special Park & Ride bus route 1PR, which was opened in September 2007 and offered service between the Pirita Park & Ride parking lot and the city centre. The route was closed from January 2009.
Nearly all routes have two terminus stops, one of which also serves as a resting stop for drivers.