The Big New Difference Between Kaunas & Vilnius Public Transportation

The ongoing rivalry between Kaunas and Vilnius has people constantly comparing the two largest cities in Lithuania. Which city is better? Which city is more beautiful? These are common topics for discussion. One new change to the public transportation system of Kaunas will make it noticeably different from the bus system in Vilnius. So, for today’s video, let’s look at this topic and evaluate the pros and cons.
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[@LithuaniaExplained]

Thanks to those who commented on the previous (but now unlisted) video regarding date format usage in Lithuania. As someone mentioned in the comments, expiration date packaging uses the format that I mentioned, and so because I saw this everywhere, I thought it was the standard. I'll fix the video and upload it another time!

[@ltguy1953]

As a trolleybus driver in Vilnius i can say that in big part of the city (especially in the center) stop buttons are not needed because there are people at every stop. But the bus lines that go further away from the center (Lentvaris, Grigiškės, Vaidotai, Rudamina) could 100% use stop buttons as there are stops that rarely have people waiting or wanting to get of. At the time of writing im working and in the early morning on the first trip there was only 5 people through the whole route but i still had to stop at every stop. Btw in Vilnius public transport has to stop at every stop, but is not required to open the doors every time.

[@LithuaniaExplained]

Thank you for sharing your unique perspective 😁

[@markplenty2631]

I was on a bus in Klaipeda and the stop button was needed and I needed to flag the driver too.

[@superrouter]

I think it would be interesting if you made a video about Vilnius' urban planning, since you told that you are interested in urban planning, and there are no videos about that

[@RichieLarpa]

Let me share you the system in Czech Republic, for those, who are curious: For example in our capital Prague, it is mixed, in a frequently used stops, buses and trams are stopping mandatorily, no matter, how many people are there, but in case of smaller stops, which are not used as frequently (usually ones out of city center), people are advised in advance that it is a "bus stop on request" and if no one requests a stop and nobody is waiting at the stop, a bus will simply not stop and proceed further.

[@fidenemini111]

A good and logical system! Actually in Vilnius public transport drivers use this system by their own iniciative. At the outskirts of the town if you do not visibly show your intentions to take off at the stop, they simply skip it.

[@thatonepole]

Here in Kraków we also have "special request" stops (standing by which we usually wave our hands to make the driver notice us) and "stop" buttons, but we also use special "door" buttons which work as the stop button + tell the driver which door they're supposed to open. I've also rode a bus line in Prague that had like 8 "na znameni" stops in a row which was pretty funny ngl.

[@n2e913]

Zastavka na znameni

[@lzh4950]

My country (Singapore) now has some pretty long (~40m) bus stops serving busier roads with more services, to let more buses stop there at the same time. If your bus is at the back of a pack of 2-3 buses stopping at 1 such stop, the bus will end up at 1 end of the stop, where it'll open its doors for people to board & alight. When they are done the bus will set off but passengers at the same bus stop but at the other end may flag the bus again after it sets off but before the bus completely leaves the stop (so that those passengers wouldn't have had to walk to the other end of the stop to board the bus). Thus some buses in my country can stop not once but twice at the same stop!

[@pauladosch7062]

Thanks for your practical videos! I'm coming to Lithuania for 3 weeks in October and will be in Vilnius, Kaunus, and Klaipeda.

[@manometras]

It’s spelled Kaunas.

[@sithjustin9337]

​​@@manometrashe's trying.

[@manometras]

@@sithjustin9337 , I see. I understand why he / she wrote as he / she did.

[@lithuanian_guy]

@@manometras Hes a foreigner who made a mistake in one city name out of three - give him a break 😄. Let him come visit first and find out for himself. I wish @pauladosch7062 a pleasant stay too, cheers people!

[@gediminov8644]

Im live in kaunas this city is best

[@justas9624]

That is actually how Norwegian bus system works, and while it's a bit odd at first, you get used to it pretty quickly, and busses still pretty much always arrive on time/schedule.

[@manometras]

Sometimes the schedule is important, indeed. It is when the buses are rare. And the buses are rare exactly in those places and cases when there are a few passanger waiting for them.

[@blueeyedbaer]

I've seen stop buttons on busses everywhere in Sweden. I've never had any problems with it. Works well in Berlin as well. If a bus is going ahead of its schedule it just stops at some less utilised bus stop and waits till it's time to roll again.

[@wetpenguin]

so what's the point of not stopping, if the bus still stops and waits if it's going too fast

[@dead0404]

I find one advantage. For example no one press stop button for like 3 stops and no one is standing in those 3 stops so the bus just rushes past them. Then bus stops at the stop that someone wanted to get off and waits for its schedule time in that stop to start driving again. So those people that got off saved 3 stops stopping time. @@wetpenguin

[@wetpenguin]

@@dead0404 damn, you right you right

[@Max-pk6uc]

IDK but what Kaunas is doing seems to be the same system Klaipeda has for years now, maybe it's not official or something, but living in Klaipeda, busses never stop at empty bus stops and if you don't press the button the bus will continue going, my experience is mainly with busses that go in and out of town, but what Kaunas is doing is nothing new for Klaipeda

[@vaidotast]

I guess the schedule can be a little off sometimes, but on a regular day it should still be easy to predict the times.

[@Aviation_Lover-sb8th]

I agree with you that bus should run on time, because in Vilnius, 4G sometimes runs earlier in the beginning of the route from Pilaitė. When I check the app and the bus hasn't departed, it shows one time, but when the bus arrives at the stop, it's quite often being ahead of the schedule (~2 min), that's so annoying when I have to walk ~3 min to the 4G bus stop, but when I go out of home, I see my bus going past it and I have to run. That's so annoying!

[@Animas42]

If this is going to work like it is in Klaipėda then you should remember that stop button is also having another use. It opens the door. For example if the person that has pressed the button at the back of the bus and you are waiting at the middle and you didn't press the button you won't be able to get out until you actually press the button. Apparently the driver has no control of the doors. This also means that if you are waiting at the stop and no one is getting out you will only be able to get in through front door.

[@nxladam8876]

So i lived in Kaunas for the past year and sometimes took late night buses and trolleys, i can say that whilst uncommon during the the night, but during less busy day times, bus drivers usually stop at empty bus stops and stay there until another bus arrives or theyre back on schedule, instead of being ahead of it

[@Bizkvit]

Thank you for all your videos about Lithuania. Can u make video about lithuanians companys that run Lithuanians economy?

[@markust7709]

I know this video reviewed Kaunas and Vilnius only. But I have my 5 cents from Klaipeda: It is normal to push the button for stopping at empty or remote bus stop here like... since ages. There is no need for that during rush hours or central routes. But on less busy routes and outside rush hours buses in Klaipeda just simply skipping those stops. If you don't push the button you keep riding until you do push. It has been this way... since 5 or even 7 years ago until now. I am not sure if this is official policy or drivers just do that. But they do🙂 Klaipeda has smaller pubic transport system than Vilnius or Kaunas, with only 24 regular routes (not sure if they all active but I definitely seen Nr 24 on streets). Also Klaipeda is the only city that uses electrical charging buses for regular everyday routes (not all of them! Just a couple). Those buses are called Dancer, they do charge from special station from above on the roof. They are very quiet. They are made in Klaipeda 😱 They are not just assembled in Klaipeda, they drveloped here - it is Lithuanian brand. There was an attempt to use only Dancers for Klaipeda but "mafia" people importing expensive vehicles to Lithuania destroyed the project. No one needs cheap and ecological buses made in Lithuania, apparently... Instead they keep buying expensive posh articulated Man, Scanias or Mercedes Benz buses🤦 Do Romania and Germany bought these Dancers but they are not welcome in native Lithuania because they cross the road to foreign bus importers. Here is incredible link about Dancer buses made in Klaipeda: dancerbus.com/

[@travelvideos]

Inconvenience for invisible passengers. In UK, one has to wait at designated bus stop: if lines split afterwards there will usually be two separate bus stops.

[@kevinsview93]

In the U.S. buses in my city stop at every stop, regardless if anyone there or not. I have considered using the bus in Vilnuis to travel to some locations. I would use Uber, but my phone loses Internet once I out of range of WiFi. Is it possible to take a round trip bus to Vilnius airport, to the local grocery store? I want to buy that Bankukha. Lithuanian cake I seen in one of your videos.

[@seanshepard2000]

"you kept making all the stops?!?!?" --- "people kept pushing the button!!!!" - "you're Batman!" :)

[@sithjustin9337]

I miss ,,Litas"😢.

[@manometras]

I think, if the schedule is changing, most passangers will be able to follow the current schedule on their mobile phones in real time.

[@ASilverMess]

Back in Germany our busses would just stop too when pressing the Stop button. If you wouldn't and your stop is coming up but no one is on the stop then they would jsut continue to drive and you would miss it. It can be annoying but sometimes it is also nicer as the bus can drive along more quickly to arrive at the next stop. Yet most of the time they weren't really much more early so it works fine except that you definitely have to press the button. If you are at the station alone a person wether or not they want to get in is enough for the bus to stop. So I was very surprised coming to Vilnius and seeing the stop buttons but seeing no one press them besides me just out of habit. I don't mind the busses stopping at all the stops often but then again I also understand that it would probably be nicer for a passanger and a bus driver to not stop every time when it's late and there is just one passenger in the bus and all the bus stops on the way are pretty much empty (what happened to me once), where the bus jsut continuing to drive and the passanger stopping the stop button could might have been a little nicer for both. But again I think both concepts have their perks and I am alright with both of them. Amazing video once again!

[@m.m.6670]

The stop button is utilised in most European countries, so it's nice that Kaunas is also introducing it. It's no longer going to confuse the foreigners and might help shorten the delays.

[@Mendogology]

2 videos in the same day? Is the apocalypse coming?

[@LithuaniaExplained]

What are you talking about!? This is the one and only video today! 🙃 (see pinned comment on this video)😉

[@Mendogology]

@@LithuaniaExplained Who am I? Why are we here? Where is the third video?

[@sithjustin9337]

​@@Mendogology just wait

[@sithjustin9337]

I think that ,,Lithuania Explained" person has drank a lot of coffee ☕😉

[@BetaTestingUrGf]

Man. Here we have trains that don't stop at some stations if noone pressed stop in the train or on the station.

[@Slaptuolis]

I live In kaunas its very good thing you just prees stop and its stops

[@fidenemini111]

My biggest objection for this system is also keeping the schedule. Otherwise I'm for it.

[@und4287]

After a year they will probably just readjust it according to the saved time after introducing STOP buttons

[@user-xu4vx9kz5b]

Here in greece is the same thing on trolleybuses or busses

[@MindaugasMacijauskas]

Okay, let it be - first!

[@user-wy4hx6qs6n]

i just left lithuania after 6 weeks

[@aspecialday001]

Second

[@dyoffe_REAL]

try šiauliai busess

[@mantas8069]

Horrible system, because the buses would be ahead of schedule and people would have to run to the bus stop to catch a bus or wait 10 minutes more to make sure not miss the bus.

[@seanshepard2000]

city planner vs. architect: discuss (lol)

[@LithuaniaExplained]

😆

[@Laurynas_LTU]

Kaunas system will be better because it'll be more efficient. The vast majority of public transport users are locals, not tourists. I rarely use public transport, so some of the Vilnius system advantages were not obvious to me. Thanks!

[@coryprice4922]

"Promosm"

[@talayoki6989]

After using this system for a couple of times, I can say that it's almost useless. The bus always stops at every stop because there are always people waiting for them and if don't, they still stop. Maybe it's more convenient during night time but now we don't have fast busses anymore. Also, this is not my favourite type of public transport. Trains are way better. They don't stop and drive, stop and drive constantly. This thing can make me so 🤢. I would rather take a 20 min walk than drive with these 🚎.

[@notforvideoschannel]

I wish we could have such beautiful infrastructure in Belarus.

[@Catapillah]

Can't believe I'm saying this, but Kaunas is doing it right 😅😁

[@windlink1236]

Terrible decision, in my opinion. Hope other cities won't follow...