Taurage District is a medium-sized municipality (about thirty eight thousand residents) in the Western part of Lithuania, located on the banks of the river Jūra and surrounded by scenic landscapes. Although it is one of the smallest EU Mission Cities, Taurage does not lack ambition. According to Taurage's Strategic Development Plan 2021-2030, the city's first priority is becoming Lithuania's greenest municipality. In fact, Taurage is consistently and continuously implementing environmentally friendly solutions to reduce emissions in domains like energy, waste management, and transport.
Taurage's commitment to sustainable mobility started years before it became one of the EU Mission Cities. The first Taurage City Sustainable Mobility Plan was approved in 2017 (updated in 2022 and 2024). With an ambition to improve the public transport services in the city and the surrounding region, Taurage took a complex approach to making public transport more sustainable and accessible.
Improving accessibility
Taurage made a bold decision to make public transport free for all citizens in 2020. It was a crucial milestone that started the renaissance of the public transport service provision, including updating bus schedules and routes to better service the local population.
In 2021, Taurage, in collaboration with three other municipalities, established a public institution, "Žaliasi regionas", to improve the provision and organisation of regional public transport services. It led to launching a joint electronic ticketing system in September 2023 that allows easy travel with public transport in all four municipalities. Residents can purchase an annual ticket for a symbolic fee of 12 EUR that covers the maintenance costs of the ticketing system and allows unlimited travel throughout the region. Citizens can also use a mobile application, "Scan and Go", to purchase the tickets (annual, half a year, monthly) or plan the best route.
Electrification of the bus fleet and modernisation of the infrastructure
Taurage was the first Lithuanian municipality to purchase electric buses with the support of EU funding in 2019. Today, Taurage has one of the newest bus fleets in Lithuania. The fleet has 33 buses powered by internal combustion engines and 16 electric buses. The aim is to increase the number of electric buses to 18 by 2030.
Parallel to electrification and modernisation of the bus fleet, Taurage is also refurbishing public transport stops and installing new signboards. Taurage plans to renovate 77 bus stops and install 32 new ones in the city while also renovating 287 bus stops and installing 25 new ones in the surrounding district by 2029.
Furthermore, Taurage has installed digital displays (in collaboration with LG) at bus stops, ensuring passengers receive real-time updates and improving the daily commute experience. The displays use energy-efficient technology aligned with the city's climate-neutrality goals, blending innovation with practicality
The changes Taurage has implemented have clearly demonstrable results in citizen behaviour. The public transport usage has increased from approx. 420,000 passengers in 2018 to approximately 640,000 passengers in 2024. Moreover, a recent study by the Kaunas University of Technology on the value created by the integrated public transport services system in the Taurage region showed that the new system meets residents' needs, and they especially value the safety, affordability, and accessibility of the services.
What were the key drivers supporting the implementation?
- Political support & strategy: Taurage's commitment to climate neutrality and sustainable mobility has been a key catalyst for changes in public transport services. Moreover, Taurage's political leadership believes that sustainable, accessible, and convenient mobility is essential also for economic growth and tourism in the region.
- Funding: Electrification of the bus fleet has primarily been possible with the support of EU funding. The municipality used ERDF funding to acquire electric buses. Moreover, they plan to use ERDF funding to modernise public transport infrastructure (e.g., bus stops). However, Taurage has also had to ensure co-financing of 15% from the municipal budget.
- Collaboration: Taurage has demonstrated that collaboration is essential to implementing impactful solutions in the district and region. Its partnership with the neighbouring municipalities (Jurbarkas, Šilalė, and Pagėgiai) has been instrumental in bringing about more sustainable and accessible public transport in the region to better service people who commute to Taurage frequently. Moreover, its collaboration with private partners like LG has allowed the city to introduce innovative solutions to improve the daily commute experience.
- Socially just mobility: As a medium-sized municipality in Lithuania, Taurage's revenue from public transport services was less than 5% of the total amount needed to maintain the bus fleet and provide adequate services on intercity, intra-city, and intra-district routes. Therefore, the city decided it would only be socially fair not to collect this money from frequent travellers and to cover this amount from the municipal budget.
What were the challenges and barriers?
- Behavioural change: Changing people's mobility behaviours is not easy. For over a decade, public transport in Taurage was too expensive, not passenger-focused, and served only local routes. It led locals living in Taurage and the surrounding areas to choose private cars as their primary transportation mode for daily commutes to work. Now, the municipality has to put extra effort into providing better quality services and fostering a change of habits toward more sustainable mobility choices.
- Sociodemographic conditions: Like many other smaller towns in Lithuania and the Baltics, Taurage faces depopulation that directly affects the demand and, consequently, the costs of public services, including public transport. They addressed the challenge by partnering with the neighbouring municipalities (Jurbarkas, Šilalė, and Pagėgiai) and adjusting the public transport schedules according to demand (e.g., travel times to and from work or school).
- Digitalisation: After three years of providing free public transport, Taurage introduced an e-ticketing system with an annual cost of 12 EUR. The digitalisation efforts provoked an initial negative reaction from the elderly population. However, after introducing the new ticketing system, people have overcome their reservations and find it easy to use.
Potential for replication & lessons learned
Taurage plans to continue improving the public transport services with a greater focus on enhancing routes and schedules and growing the popularity of the services among all social groups. Their experience can help other small- and medium-sized low-density municipalities critically examine public transport accessibility and sustainability and potentially replicate some of the good practices implemented in Taurage. The municipality emphasises two main lessons learned:
- Improving public transport services requires not only an upgrade of the bus fleet and infrastructure but also a user-centred approach to service design that is in line with local demand. Therefore, aligning routes and travel schedules with citizen needs is an important aspect.
- Maintaining an affordable and well-functioning public transport system within small or medium-sized municipalities is difficult. Taurage's experience shows that collaborating with nearby towns and municipalities can help to create a more efficient service provision on a regional level.