Plan of the decade: in Vilnius, more than half of public transport will run on electricity

“We remember the times when the quality of public transport was measured, whether the bus arrived or if it did not break down on the way. In a few years, we have renewed the public transport fleet in Vilnius, but the expectations of Vilnius residents for transport in the city are more and more demanding: convenient, modern, fast – good, but more environmentally friendly, electrically powered, adapted for the disabled, modern – even better. Public transport strategy for a decade We fight for speed, comfort and ecology: in the renewed fleet, more than half of the vehicles will run on electricity, all the buses involved in the traffic will be new and their average age will be five years, ”says Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Šimašius.

Improving public transport is estimated to cost citizens just over half a million euros a year. A total of 245.26 million euros would be allocated to the purchase of buses and trolleybuses over the next decade. including private investment. It is planned to buy electric, gas-powered buses and trolleybuses, some of which would be autonomous. € 52.37 million should be allocated for new infrastructure or its improvement – the construction of A-lanes, the installation of stations and video screens, the improvement of the catenary, the electric charging stations and the gas stations – and the new emission system of electronic tickets. euros, according to a municipal press release.

The basis of the renovation is the quality of service, ecology and financial sustainability.

The public transportation renovation plan is based on a feasibility study conducted this fall. Their goal was to provide concrete solutions on when and which vehicles the city needs to buy and how to upgrade the infrastructure. National and EU pollution reduction requirements and the Vilnius Sustainable Mobility Plan have been taken into account. It also includes an analysis of the existing infrastructure in Vilnius, assesses good practices in other countries and offers technological solutions on the market.

The result of the study was based on the following main criteria when choosing a combination of vehicles, when the fleet is renewed with electric, gas and wired and autonomous trolleybuses: improvement of service quality, urban sustainability and ecology, financial sustainability.

First, Vilnius seeks to unanimously improve the overall experience of public transport travel and the quality of services: accessibility to public transport, convenient and safe waiting at the stop, information for passengers, comfortable and fast trips by bus or trolleybus, shopping of tickets and other services.

Second, the city aims to reduce the negative impact of transportation on the environment, so when renewing the fleet, it will only buy vehicles that meet the highest environmental requirements. Public transport will be conveniently integrated with other forms of sustainable mobility in the city, thus creating a cleaner, more comfortable and more welcoming environment for people.

To achieve the economically optimal option, a plan has been drawn up not only for the acquisition of new infrastructure, but also for the efficient use of the existing one. It is planned to renew the contact trolleybus network in Vilnius, for which specific stages and deadlines will be provided.

“The quality of public transport travel in Vilnius will continue to improve, we strive so that everyone, even a vehicle, is adapted to people with special mobility needs. We have set the goal that in the next decade the modal distribution of trips in the city will be as follows: a third of each will be movement by public transport, car, on foot and another 8%. bikes and the rest otherwise. For example, there are currently 36 kilometers of A-lanes in Vilnius, and by 2030 they will already be about 60 kilometers apart. By making decisions to make moving around the city as convenient as possible by public transport, cycling, walking, etc., Vilnius is moving towards this ratio, ”says Modesta Gusarovienė, director of SĮ Sazimo paslaugos.

The plan for the renewal of the public transport fleet began to be presented in the committees of the Vilnius City Council, and on December 9. It will be presented to the Council for its consideration. Once approved by the members of the Council, the planned scenario for the renovation of public transport, in stages until 2030. Specific tenders will be organized for the selection of carriers, vehicles and other purchases.

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