By tapping the ticket machine with a payment card or smart device, passengers will be able to purchase a single 60-minute ticket for EUR 0.90. The ticket will be activated automatically. Passengers can check for how long the ticket is still valid by tapping again the same contactless payment card or smart device against the ticket machine.
“We are moving rapidly towards the modernisation of public transport in Vilnius and greater convenience for residents. New trolleybuses are already on the streets of the city, and today we are introducing contactless payment – a new opportunity to travel more easily and comfortably, which meets the needs of today’s residents. This solution will not only minimise the time spent purchasing a ticket, but will also contribute to the sustainable development of the city by promoting the integration of technology in everyday life,” says Valdas Benkunskas, the Mayor of the capital.
“The new way of purchasing a ticket will be especially convenient for tourists and city guests. On several occasions we have previously received requests for this method of payment, which does not require communicating with the driver or knowing the local system for purchasing tickets. You just step in, tap your card and ride,” says Loreta Levulytė-Staškevičienė, Head of JUDU Public Transport Organisation, Director at interim. “Vilnius, together with the largest cities in the world and in Europe – New York, Sydney, Tokyo, London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and Prague – is implementing the latest technologies in public transport. We hope that the residents of the capital will also positively evaluate this intelligent solution.”
How to buy a ticket using contactless method?
All passengers need to do is tap their contactless card or smart device against the ticket machine once. The successful purchase of the ticket will be seen on the screen and confirmed by a sound signal. Only one ticket can be purchased with one card at a time. If the validity period of the ticket has already expired, by tapping the card again, a new ticket will be purchased, which will be valid for 60 minutes. With this valid ticket, passengers can continue their trip by another means of public transport. By tapping the ticket machine screen in another bus or trolleybus, the passenger will see the ticket’s validity period.
Passengers will be able to use the following contactless cards to purchase a short-term public transport ticket: Mastercard, Maestro, Visa and VisaElectron.
It is not recommended to tap with your entire wallet or card case against the ticket machine, as this can debit the money from another card. To avoid these problems, it is best to remove just the card that you want to pay with.
It will also be possible to purchase a ticket with Google Pay or Apple Pay accounts. In this case, you should simply tap your smart device, such as a phone or a watch, against the machine. It is important to make sure that contactless payment is enabled on your device.
Temporarily, until the end of September, during ticket control, controllers may ask to provide the last 4 numbers of the bank card with which the ticket was purchased. This practice of contactless ticket control is also applied in foreign countries, for example in the city of Birmingham in England. It allows to check whether the ticket is valid. Passengers paying with a smart device can find these details in their Google Pay or Apple Pay accounts.
Later, during the check, passengers will simply hold their payment card or the device they used to purchase the ticket against the control device. The controller will use special equipment to check whether a public transport ticket has been registered to a payment card, smartphone, watch or other device.
Other payment methods?
“Today, we are happy to be able to offer customers not only a convenient and advanced but also a sustainable payment method. Like most we are naturally transitioning to e-payment services and modernisation; we notice a decrease in the use of cash, and with this decision we do not want to deprive senior citizens of travelling possibilities. The possibility of purchasing tickets using the m.Ticket and Trafi apps and by topping up the JUDU/Vilnius resident card remains. We remind you that the JUDU/Vilnius resident card can be topped up at Narvesen, Maxima and Rimi shopping centres and at JUDU self-service or customer service centres,” adds the Head of JUDU.
Starting from 1 September, it will no longer be possible to purchase paper tickets from the driver. Passengers will be able to use previously purchased paper single tickets for another 3 years – until 1 September 2027, activating them in the bus or trolleybus in the usual way.
“In 2023, paper tickets from drivers accounted for 5% of all public transport tickets sold. Most passengers in the capital city, i.e. 58%, chose long-term 30-365 days public transport tickets for trips in the city”, estimates the Head of JUDU. “The plan is to have a contactless ticket for every 5 public transport journeys.”
About JUDU
JUDU is responsible for organising public transport services, parking infrastructure in the city and promoting sustainable ways of travelling. In 2023, more than 193.5 thousand passengers used public transport services daily, rating their trips by trolleybus or bus 8.65 points out of 10, the highest rating since 2015. The company also ensures the smooth organisation of city traffic and, together with Vilnius City Municipality, implements innovative solutions that make Vilnius a walkable city.