Finding the bus stop
According to Riga Airport's own public transport page, the stop for bus route 22 to the city centre is located in the P1 car park, in the middle between arrival exits E and C. Signage inside the terminal points travellers toward the stop, and it is the only public bus route directly serving the airport itself, rather than requiring a transfer from a nearby stop outside the airport grounds.
How to pay on bus 22 specifically
Rīgas satiksme, the operator of Riga's public transport network, states directly that bus route 22 is the only one of its routes where tickets can also be purchased from the driver. Payment is accepted by bank card only — no cash — and the ticket price stated by the operator is €1.81. This makes bus 22 unusually convenient for a first-time arrival, since you do not need to have obtained any transport card or ticket in advance to board.
Passengers who already hold a pre-purchased e-ticket or qualify for a fare discount can also use those on route 22, in addition to the driver-sold option.
How the wider ticketing system works
Riga's public transport (trams, trolleybuses and buses) runs on an electronic ticket system rather than paper tickets bought individually at every trip. Rīgas satiksme's own description of how e-tickets work explains that a ticket purchased onto an e-talon (a reloadable electronic card) is valid for boarding once loaded, and must be tapped against a reader on board each time you board a tram, trolleybus or bus — including when you change from one vehicle to another during the same journey, if your ticket type requires re-registration.
There are several types of e-talons cards: personalised and non-personalised versions available to any traveller, plus specific cards for residents, students, guides and corporate customers. As a visitor, a non-personalised e-ticket or a single-use option is the relevant choice — the personalised and resident cards are tied to registration requirements that do not apply to a short visit.
An alternative to the physical card is a "code ticket," which Rīgas satiksme describes as a way to pay for trips using a smartphone in online mode, without needing a physical card at all.
Ticket types and prices beyond the airport bus
For trips around the city on trams, trolleybuses and standard buses (not the airport-specific bus 22 fare above), Rīgas satiksme's time ticket page lists a single 90-minute ticket at €1.50, with a ticket allowing unlimited transfers between vehicles within that 90-minute window as long as you register (tap) again each time you board a different vehicle. Day tickets covering 24 hours, 3 days or 5 days are also available, useful if you are staying multiple days and plan to use public transport repeatedly, though this guide could not confirm current prices for those longer options — check Rīgas satiksme's own pricing page directly before relying on a specific figure.
Where to buy an e-talons card
E-tickets and e-talons cards are sold at more than 400 trade outlets across Riga according to Rīgas satiksme's guidance for visitors, including Narvesen kiosks, Rimi and Maxima supermarkets, and Rīgas satiksme's own customer service centres — but not, notably, on board most buses, trams or trolleybuses (bus 22 from the airport being the specific exception described above).
What happens if you don't validate your ticket
Riga's public transport system, like most electronic-ticket systems, relies on passengers actively tapping or scanning to register a valid trip rather than an honour system, and ticket inspections do occur on Rīgas satiksme services. Boarding without a validated ticket — including forgetting to tap an e-talons card you already hold — puts you at risk of a fine on inspection, the same as not having a ticket at all, since an unvalidated card carries no proof of payment for that specific trip even if it has credit loaded onto it.
A note on trams and trolleybuses beyond the airport route
Once you're in central Riga, the same e-talons system and 90-minute ticket described above apply equally to the city's tram and trolleybus network, not just its buses — Riga retains both trolleybuses (electric buses drawing power from overhead lines) and conventional diesel or electric buses as parallel parts of the same integrated Rīgas satiksme system. Trams tend to serve the more historic, central parts of the network — including the streets around Riga's Art Nouveau district — while trolleybuses and buses fill in routes across the wider city, but all three modes are covered by the same tickets and validation rules described in this guide, so there's no need to work out separate ticketing logic for each mode once you're past the airport-specific bus 22 arrangement.
Before you leave the arrivals hall
Work out whether your accommodation is close enough to a stop on bus 22's route to make it your best option, or whether a taxi makes more sense for your luggage and exact destination — this guide covers the bus specifically and does not compare it against airport taxi fares or ride-hailing options, which change independently of the public transport facts above.