Lithuania looks to electrify its public transport

The Lithuanian government is subsidising the procurement of 275 electric buses and the associated charging infrastructure with around 55 million euros from EU funds. The subsidised transport companies are currently starting the corresponding procurement procedures. From 2026, they will only be allowed to procure buses with alternative drive systems.

Image: Lietuvos Respublikos Susisiekimo Ministerija

The financial incentives are supposed to motivate Lithuanian transport companies to replace old diesel buses with new electric buses. The funding is being awarded in two instalments: At the beginning of the year, public transport companies in the region around Vilnius, for example, were awarded funding to purchase 80 electric vehicles. The programme continues with the remaining regions and grants for 195 additional electric buses. According to the government, the funding recipients are now starting the procurement process.

“The decarbonisation of the transport sector is already well underway in Lithuania’s major cities. With our record investments and the favourable conditions we are creating, smaller cities will now also be ready to participate in the transformation of the transport sector,” says Agnė Vaiciukevičiūtė, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications, who also points out that from 2026, all public transport vehicles purchased in Lithuania must run on alternative fuels.

According to the Ministry of Transport and Communications, 8,055 buses and trolleybuses are registered in Lithuania, 900 of which run on alternative fuels.

sumin.lrv.lt (in Lithuanian)