Lithuanian cities run on buses and trolleybuses, and each of the four big ones has its own card, app and council-set price list. They differ in the details that cost money: a single is €1.00 in Vilnius for 30 minutes and €1.25 for 60, €0.70 in Kaunas on the card against €1.50 from the driver, €0.70 in Klaipėda on the app and €1.00 on a bank card. The rule that holds everywhere: a ticket you have not validated is not a ticket, and the fine, €16 to €30, is national law rather than city policy.
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How the system works
Every city sells the same three things under different names. A rechargeable plastic card — JUDU in Vilnius, the e-ticket card in Kaunas, e-bilietas in Klaipėda, the Šiauliai card — bought blank and loaded with money or a pass. A phone app doing the same job: m.Ticket, Žiogas, and the Klaipėda and Šiauliai operators' own. And a contactless bank card, which buys one single and nothing else — no pass, no concession unless registered under Kaunas's scheme, and in Vilnius only the 60-minute ticket at €1.25.
The plastic card is the cheapest way to travel and the only route to a concession: €1.50 in Vilnius, €1.50 in Kaunas, €2.00 in Klaipėda, €1.50 in Šiauliai, all anonymous when bought. Registering it online turns a purse into something an inspector will accept alongside your student card or pension certificate.
The distinction that matters in week one is between a time ticket — 30 or 60 minutes in Vilnius, one journey with a 30-minute transfer window in Šiauliai — activated each time you board, and a period pass of 30, 90 or 365 days, activated once on first use.
Vilnius: fares and the JUDU card
Vilnius is run by JUDU, on a price list in force since 1 July 2025. The concession columns are not a discount applied at the validator but separate ticket types the card must be entitled to carry.
| Ticket | Full price | 50% concession | 80% concession |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes | €1.00 | €0.50 | €0.20 |
| 60 minutes | €1.25 | €0.63 | €0.25 |
| 1 day | €7.50 | ||
| 3 days | €13.50 | ||
| 30 days | €38.00 | €19.00 | €7.60 |
| 30 days, workdays | €35.00 | ||
| 90 days | €110.00 | €22.00 | |
| 365 days | €342.00 | €68.40 | |
| Annual, grades 1–4 | €10.00 | ||
| Annual, aged 80+ | €10.00 | ||
| Blank card | €1.50 |
The blank card is sold at JUDU customer centres and at Maxima, Rimi, Narvesen and Lietuvos spauda kiosks — including Terminal A of the airport. The working-days-only pass costs €35.00 instead of €38.00 for anyone who walks or cycles at weekends.
The m.Ticket app sells the same tickets to a phone, activated in the app. A contactless bank card buys a €1.25 60-minute ticket and nothing else: no 30-minute ticket, no passes, no concession whoever holds it.
The airport is not a special case: buses 88, 1, 2 and the 3G express run on the ordinary city network, with night bus 88N between 22:30 and 05:30, so a €1.00 30-minute ticket or a €1.25 contactless tap is the whole transfer. Park & Ride at the edge-of-town car parks is €1.00.
Kaunas, Klaipėda and Šiauliai
The other three price the same way, with a sharper card-versus-driver gap. Kaunas: €1.50 in cash from the driver against €0.70 on the e-ticket card or the Žiogas app. Klaipėda: €1.50 from the driver, €0.70 on app or card, and a third tier at €1.00 on a contactless bank card. Šiauliai: €0.74 on the card, €1.50 from the driver.
| Ticket | Kaunas | Klaipėda | Šiauliai |
|---|---|---|---|
| From the driver, cash | €1.50 | €1.50 | €1.50 |
| On the card or app | €0.70 | €0.70 | €0.74 |
| On a bank card | €1.50 | €1.00 | |
| Single, 80% | €0.14 | ||
| 1 day | €3.30 | ||
| 7 days | €9.70 | ||
| 30 days | €28.00 | €28.00 | €32.50 |
| 30 days, workdays | €28.00 | ||
| 30 days, 50% | €14.00 | €14.00 | |
| 30 days, 80% | €5.60 | €5.60 | |
| Three months | €76.00 (92 days) | €92.00 (3 months) | |
| Six months | €160.00 (180 days) | €171.00 (6 months) | |
| 365 days | €275.00 | €275.00 | |
| 365 days, 80% | €55.00 | €55.00 | |
| Blank card | €1.50 | €2.00 | €1.50 |
| Control ticket, from the inspector | €8.00 | €8.00 |
An empty cell is a ticket that city does not sell; Šiauliai's concession fares are set at the operator's desk against the same national categories. All three lists took effect on 1 January 2026 — Klaipėda's under council decision T1-360, Šiauliai's under T-503.
Kaunas sells its card at Laisvės alėja 114 and at kiosks; from 1 September 2026 a contactless bank card registered on the operator's self-service site can also buy concession singles at €0.75 and €0.30, though phone-wallet cards are excluded. Kaunas Airport is city route 29 to the railway station, on the ordinary price list.
Klaipėda's card, €2.00, is the dearest, sold at Narvesen, the operator's centre and online; night bus N1 is €1.50 from the driver. Its resident's card, the Klaipėdiečio kortelė, is for people with a declared address in the city: with it anyone aged 65 or over pays €10.00 for 365 days and a pupil in grades 1–4 pays €10.00 for the school year.
Šiauliai sells its card at the bus station and Šarūno g. 2, its app is ŠR bilietas, and a monthly pass online is €32.00 against €32.50 at a kiosk.
Concessions, and who actually qualifies
Concessions come from a national statute, the Law on Transport Concessions, applied by each city through its own list. The percentages are the same everywhere: 80% off for pupils and students, 50% off for pensioners below a certain age.
The 80% concession is where foreigners get caught: the operators run two student categories and only one has an age limit. JUDU's list, in its own words:
Vyresni kaip 18 metų asmenys, kurie mokosi pagal bendrojo ugdymo programą, įskaitant asmenis, kurių mokymą pagal bendrojo ugdymo programą ir pagal bendrojo ugdymo programą kartu su profesinio mokymo programa vykdo profesinio mokymo teikėjai, bet ne ilgiau, iki jiems sukaks 23 metai
That is the over-18 general-education category, ending at 23. Higher education is a different line:
Aukštųjų mokyklų studentai, studijuojantys pagal nuolatinės formos studijų programą, Lietuvos Respublikos, kitų Europos Sąjungos valstybių narių ir Europos ekonominės erdvės valstybių piliečiai bei jų šeimos nariai, studijuojantys Europos Sąjungos valstybių narių ar Europos ekonominės erdvės valstybių aukštosiose mokyklose pagal nuolatinės formos studijų programą
No age appears in it. What gates it is full-time study and citizenship — Lithuanian, EU or EEA citizens and their family members, studying full-time at an EU or EEA university. Accepted proof is an ISIC, physical or virtual, or an EU university student card; JUDU's student page says certificates from universities outside the EU and the EURO26 card are not recognised. Kaunas uses the same construction; Klaipėda asks for an ISIC or a Lithuanian student card (LSP).
The 23-year limit is real, but it is on the wrong category to matter to most students
The limit sits on the over-18 general-education category, "bet ne ilgiau, iki jiems sukaks 23 metai". An EU or EEA citizen in a full-time degree qualifies at any age; a non-EU citizen qualifies at none, and a Lithuanian university certificate will not change that at the validator.
The rest of the 80% list: children from 8 to 18, people aged 80 and over, a working-capacity rating of 0–25%, and groups such as Chernobyl and Afghanistan veterans. Children up to 7 travel free in Kaunas if they occupy no separate seat. The 50% list: state-pension recipients under 80 in Vilnius, anyone aged 70 and over in Kaunas, and a 30–55% rating. Klaipėda gives state-pension recipients under 70 a six-month ticket at €75.00 and an annual at €135.00, and anyone over 70 the €10.00 annual.
A concession is claimed by loading the ticket type onto a personalised card and carrying the proof document; travelling without it is fined €10–€14, a lower band than having no ticket.
Validation and fines
A period pass is validated on first use to activate it; after that, tapping confirms it is live, which is what an inspector asks for. A time ticket is validated on every boarding, including transfers; an app ticket is activated in the app. Nothing is validated retrospectively: a card loaded with money but not tapped is, to an inspector, no ticket.
Article 446 of the Code of Administrative Offences sets the fine for no valid ticket at €16 to €30. Vilnius and Kaunas publish the same band, plus €10–€14 for a concession ticket without proof, €12–€24 for a school-age child without a ticket, and €10–€12 for unpaid baggage.
The alternative is the control ticket, sold on the spot by the inspector above the fare and well below the fine: €15.00 in Vilnius by bank card, €8.00 in Kaunas, €8.00 in Šiauliai. Take it; the fine is an administrative penalty and does not lapse because you are foreign or leaving.
The card and the ticket are two different purchases
Buying the card does not put a ticket on it, and nor does loading money, until the money is converted into a ticket at the validator or the point of sale. The commonest first-week fine is a person with a card, a balance and no activated ticket.
Trains and coaches between cities
Intercity is the state railway, LTG Link, and private coaches selling through autobusubilietai.lt. Neither uses the city cards: tickets are bought for a named departure and checked by a conductor.
LTG Link moved to dynamic pricing from 1 August 2026, starting with Vilnius–Klaipėda: the regular third-class fare is €14.70, the lowest advance fare €8.82, 40% less. It was announced for Vilnius–Kaunas, Kaunas–Marijampolė, Kaunas–Šiauliai, Vilnius–Trakai, Vilnius–Varėna, Vilnius–Turmantas and Kaunas–Kybartai, and for the international services to Riga, Warsaw, Kraków and Szczecin. Tickets go on sale 30 days ahead, cheapest seats first. The 30-day rail passes were cut 15% in August 2025 when singles rose, and a parent travelling with a child pays 50% on weekdays.
Students with an ISIC get 50% off rail and 50% off coach fares under the same Act, on the same citizenship and full-time conditions. A proposal to extend it to part-time students has not passed the Seimas.
Your first week
Landing at Vilnius Airport, the setup is done in the terminal: buy a blank JUDU card at the Narvesen in Terminal A, load a few euros or a 30-day pass, tap it on bus 88 or 1 into town. Registering online lets you recover the balance if the card is lost, and precedes any concession ticket. Kaunas runs the same sequence through the operator's service point or the Žiogas app; Klaipėda and Šiauliai through a Narvesen or the bus station.
Two timing traps catch people all year: a 30-day pass bought on the 3rd runs to the 2nd of the next month, not to month end, and the working-days pass does not work on Saturday. Both are printed on the receipt and missed anyway.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a bus ticket in Vilnius?
€1.00 for 30 minutes and €1.25 for 60, on the JUDU card or m.Ticket app, transfers allowed inside the window. A contactless bank card buys only the 60-minute ticket, €1.25. A 30-day pass is €38.00, or €35.00 for workdays; 365 days is €342.00. Prices held since 1 July 2025.
Does the student discount really end at 23?
Only for one category. The over-18 general-education category ends at 23, in JUDU's words "bet ne ilgiau, iki jiems sukaks 23 metai". Higher-education students are a separate category with no age condition, limited instead to Lithuanian, EU or EEA citizens and their family members studying full-time at an EU or EEA university, on an ISIC or EU student card. A non-EU citizen does not qualify at any age.
Can I use a contactless bank card on the bus?
Yes, in all four cities, but it only ever buys a full-price single: in Vilnius the 60-minute ticket at €1.25; in Klaipėda €1.00, between the €0.70 app fare and the €1.50 driver fare; in Kaunas €1.50, as from the driver, unless registered for a concession on the operator's site.
What happens if I have a card with money on it but forgot to tap?
You are travelling without a ticket: money on the card is a balance, not a fare, until the validator converts it. The fine is €16–€30 under Article 446 of the Code of Administrative Offences. The inspector can instead sell a control ticket — €15.00 in Vilnius, €8.00 in Kaunas, €8.00 in Šiauliai. Take it.
Is the airport bus a normal city fare?
In Vilnius and Kaunas, yes. Vilnius buses 88, 1, 2, the 3G express and the 88N night bus between 22:30 and 05:30 are ordinary city routes: a €1.00 30-minute ticket or a €1.25 tap is the whole fare. Kaunas route 29 to the railway station is €0.70 on the card, €1.50 from the driver.
Where do I buy the card, and does it need my name on it?
Vilnius, €1.50, at JUDU centres and Maxima, Rimi, Narvesen and Lietuvos spauda kiosks, including airport Terminal A. Kaunas, €1.50, at Laisvės alėja 114 and kiosks. Klaipėda, €2.00, at Narvesen and the operator's centre. Šiauliai, €1.50, at the bus station. All anonymous when bought; registering online is required before a concession ticket can be loaded.
How much is the train from Vilnius to Klaipėda, and how do I buy it?
Since 1 August 2026 it is dynamically priced: the regular third-class fare is €14.70, the lowest advance fare €8.82, 40% less. Tickets are sold on LTG Link's site and app and at stations up to 30 days ahead, for a named departure, cheapest seats first. City cards are not valid on trains.
What proof do I need to carry for a concession?
The document that established the entitlement, every journey. For higher-education students an ISIC, physical or virtual, or an EU university student card; JUDU recognises neither certificates from universities outside the EU nor the EURO26 card. For the 50% pensioner concession, the pension certificate. Travelling without it is fined €10–€14.
Is Kaunas cheaper than Vilnius for public transport?
On a pass, yes: €28.00 against €38.00 a month, €275.00 against €342.00 a year, €0.70 against €1.00 for a card single. The exception is the driver: €1.50 in cash beats anything Vilnius charges for one ride.
Do children pay?
Up to and including 7 they travel free in Kaunas if they occupy no separate seat. From 8 to 18 the 80% concession applies everywhere, so a Vilnius 30-day pass is €7.60. Pupils in grades 1–4 pay €10.00 a year in Vilnius and €10.00 a school year in Klaipėda. A school-age child without a ticket is fined €12–€24.