How to use public transportation in Vilnius? Tips from a local
Public transportation in Vilnius is well developed and adjusted to the needs of the residents. There is an abundance of transportation forms and all of them are accessible to both the locals and the guests of the city. It is important to notice that public transportation in Vilnius is constantly developing and adapting to the growing city and its needs. This way the Vilnius municipality ensures that most of the residents choose not to drive cars in the city center. Consequently, Vilnius remains a relatively car-free zone with many green spaces and routes for pedestrians.
Buses and trolleybuses in Vilnius
Buses and trolleybuses are the main forms of public transportation in Vilnius. To not get lost between 76 buses and 18 trolleybuses routes, you should download an app called Trafi. Managed by the Vilnius Public Transport, it can help you locate yourself in the city any time of the day. This app does a better job of helping you navigate the city than regular maps or timetables at the bus stop for several reasons. Firstly, it contains all the schedules in one place and even helps you track the vehicles. In the case of a bus being late, you can always check its location and the expected arrival time. You can also select a specific bus stop and find the time table of all the buses and trolleybuses stopping there. Secondly, this app helps you plan your route. Locating yourself in a new city is stressful, especially if you do not speak the language. This app is perfect for these people as it helps you find the bus stop that is the closest to your destination. It can even show all the possible ways you could get there. Due to these reasons, this app is installed on almost every phone that is owned by a Vilnius resident.
The tickets for the buses and the trolleybuses
There are a couple of ways you could choose to purchase your tickets. This depends on the length of your stay and how many times a day you will be using public transportation in Vilnius. The most convenient way is purchasing a public transportation card called Vilniečio kortelė. That can be done at almost every shop for 1.5 euros. When you have purchased the card, you can top it up in the same store. According to your needs, you can choose to pay for a single ride or for a longer period of time. For instance, if you will rarely travel, it would be most convenient to purchase a single ticket. You can choose either 30 or 60-minute tickets. However, if you are planning to have multiple trips a day, you should opt-out for a 30, 90, 180, or 270 days ticket. The prices vary according to your age and other factors, you can check them out here http://www.vilniustransport.lt/en/pages/prices.
Another option for ticket purchase would be an app m.Ticket, which allows you to buy the same tickets that you would purchase for your Vilniečio kortelė on your phone. This is a better option for those, who are not planning to travel by public transportation in Vilnius for a long time and hence would not benefit from owning a card. Nevertheless, bear in mind that in the case of a passenger control check-up you have to be able to show a valid ticket.
Other environmentally-friendly forms of transportation in Vilnius
As mentioned previously, Vilnius seeks to be a green city and hence encourages its residents to use environmentally friendly ways of traveling. One of such is scooters, a modern gadget that allows you to reach your destination a lot faster. Vilnius is a pedestrian-friendly city and you can get everywhere on foot, but a scooter is a great alternative when in a hurry. During the rush hours, it is even faster to travel by scooter than by car! The two most popular platforms for scooter rental are Bolt and Citybee, which both have multiple scooters all over the city. To use the scooters, you have to have their app on your phone. When you find a scooter, you should scan the QR code you will find on it and you are ready to ride. After reaching your destination, all you need to do is park the scooter. If you are interested, read more here https://bolt.eu/lt/scooters/ and here https://www.citybee.lt/en/scooters.
But not everyone likes scooters or find them a bit odd, therefore you can also use a bike. An orange bicycle is already a staple form of transportation in Vilnius. If you took a walk around the city center, the odds are you have already seen plenty of them. That is because these bikes are very convenient and easy to use. The whole process can be done through an app Cyclocity just like with the scooters. The only difference is that you do have to find a bicycle station and you cannot leave the bike wherever. However, it should not be a problem with almost 40 docking stations all over Vilnius. If you would like to find out more about the rules and prices, click on their website https://www.cyclocity.lt/en/home.