@dominik9214 in reality half or a third also enter though other doors. Anyways, more doors, more speed. two doors is ridiculous and slow. I use both cities buses
Just back from my 4th Christmas trip to Vilnius...My 9th overall trip to Lithuania....Fantastic country! Happy New Year from Ireland! 🇮🇪👍🇱🇹 Keep up the interesting work on your channel!
In Klaipėda you're advised to enter through front door to not block exit through back door. But at the same time not allowed to exit through front door.
I thought I might share how it's done in other places. For example, in most places in Sweden, the front door is used only for embarking, and people scan their in-app tickets by the scanner by the driver's seat. Then people proceed to spread out through the bus, and later get out of the bus through the middle and back doors (which are only used for disembarking). The whole method is kind of similar to the one that Vilnius did use between 2010-2015. In my experience, I think that this is a very efficient method, so maybe Vilnius should consider re-implementing it?
I remember when this was the case - it was implemented as a "measure" to make sure everyone activated their tickets and no one rides for free. It would take a longer time for everyone to onboard the bus. People were upset about this new way of doing things, and it was cancelled by the next mayor.
@@n.k.939 I remember that time as well. Populist mayor Zuokas changed this practice appeasing the complaints. So now we have all smelly free-riders in our public transport. Thank you Mr. Zuokas!
I like those POV shots; they make me feel like I'm running for that bus. I also like it when drivers are not sitting behind a glass partition; it makes it easier to exchange a few words, like confirming my route or bus stop. It's like with Balkan drivers - they are paid much less than Baltic busniks and traffic is 3 times crazier, but their attitude towards passengers is much friendlier.
Kind of seems like an oversight on the part of the design. If you have to press 3 buttons to open the doors (ofc im not sure of the layout maybe its easier then I think). Just have one button that does all three doors for open and close. Win for all parties; increase the power of A/C or heating for the drivers to make them comfortable as well. The doors open in Tallinn on the transport but some of the bus designs only half of the front door opens which is impossible to enter with luggage. That also means if you need to pay (for tourists and non-residents) that you have to trudge through half the bus to get to the payment box which is counterproductive to recooping costs. Ergonomics is important.
In Riga they do open the front door, but reluctantly in the cold season. Because tha cab is open and the temperature fluctuates all the time. So they tell me at least.
As a bus driver myself(and actually a third generation), these are the reasons(nothing connected to the corona): 1. Keeping the front part warm(because the drivers are still human, they can get sick) 2. It's especially annoying when someone enters from the first door and stands around the driver when there is unoccupied space in other part of the bus These reasons are before and after the corona and always present. In the first year or two in my career I was aggravated that people don't enter from the front door, even when I open it earlier and even if the people are coming like the case you ran towards the bus. That's because for years and years the other drivers didn't open it and even were aggressive towards the passengers, so people got used to enter from the other doors. I'm in my seventh year as a bus driver and although I open all doors(it's quicker and it's actually cringy and uncomfortable to point to a passenger to enter through the other doors), I'm very annoyed if people stand by me. Everyday there are people that from an absolutely empty bus(12/18 meters) they sit on the first seat and watch the driver. That's why I began to put a curtain so I would have some privacy(at least knowing I don't feel people's eyes on me). And don't get me wrong, for me it's nothing personal, I don't know the people I drive, it's just part of the job that includes working with people. In other jobs many people don't show their frustration, but it's there, believe me. That's why in my free time I try to be of ease to people on their jobs. But in our job many people are selfish and don't care about that. Not to mention that we are actually responsible for the lifes of hundreds and hundreds of people every single day. One mistake or distraction can lead to a tragedy. That itself can be very stressful. And of course we don't think about it(because we won't be able to work), but it's not for everyone. Cheers!
I believe this is a relic from a period maybe nine years ago, there was this thing that , passengers were allowed to offloaded from front, but they could not enter through front, I remember there was even the stop sign on the front door when you wanted to board the bus
On my daily route: at my bus stop i get on and driver doesn't open the front door for me. Cool, I go to the front for more space like you mentioned, sometimes even lean on the door since I know it won't open. I'm on my phone or something, boom, randomly he starts opening it. I curse so hard in my head when it happens lol
Well, you can play with your phone on a seat(if available), or somewhere else and definitely not leaning on the door. Not to mention that as a passenger a person has a responsibility too and it's not to just buy a ticket. One hand on a handle(for your personal safety) and only if possible the other one on the phone. I don't believe there's something more important on a "smartphone" than a person's life. And obviously it did not occurred to you, but you're blocking the view of the driver(and yes, he needs visibility to both wings of the front door)...
my theory is that it has something to do with ticket sales by drivers. they don't open front door because it would create double jam. first jam would be at the front door. if a person stops to buy a ticket there is no room to pass him in the front. so everyone is waiting outside and bus can't drive away. second jam is in the front area created by all the people who entered through the front door so now everyone who entered through the middle and back door can't reach the driver to by tickets. so not opening the front door is a way to disperse people equally.
Vilnius bus drivers no longer sell tickets. madeinvilnius.lt/en/transport/public-transport/the-end-of-an-era-in-public-transport-is-no-longer-a-paper-ticket/
I did not even know this. I would guess they introduced this order during the pandemic. No? In Kaunas, we get in through the front door only (unless we run to the back and get in in the last moment 😅), and get out through all the other doors.
So... ALL boarding passengers have to pass through NARROW frontal door? People are not in army and coordinated boarding/de-boarding is not possible. Much faster is to board via WIDE non-frontal doors after de-boarding passengers left.
In my opinion, drivers don't open front door, because I noticed a lot of them remove their outer layer of clothes while driving the bus, as they spend a lot of time in it, so it makes sense to be as comfortable as you can for those long hours. And as the front door is right next to their compartment, it lets in a lot of cold air really quickly. If you open that door in every stop just like others and leave them open as long as the other ones. You are constantly exposing yourself to cold air blasts, which I think a lot of people would agree is not ideal to keep yourself healthy. As for the warm part of the year you have the reverse problem with the aircon. So it is much easier and makes more sense to just use those doors as little as possible for the drivers sake and in some cases even the passengers sake. Also... the front door only boarding rule was such a stupid idea. The transit got 2-3 times slower because all the people were herded through 1 door so the bus had to stay 2-3 times longer in each stop to board the passengers. And as you said people get in and don't want to move to the far end. So it gets even slower as people try to squish through the people who are already on board. This works if there are 2-3 people in each stop that want to get on, but if you have 10-20 in peak hours, it just makes the entire transit inefficient and discourages people from using public transport entirely, because they start hating the experience.
This indeed is a weird behaviour by the bus drivers. The VVT company ignore any complaints and pretend that this only exists in "individual cases" and refuse to even acknowledge that the problem is systemic and not an issue of individual drivers. This is nothing however, compared to my experience in Kaunas when I was effectively kidnapped by a trolleybus driver. I think she got upset that I was taking a photo of the trolleybus (or so she thought, because I actually wasn't. Not that it really matters). The trolleybus driver refused to let me out in my stop and drove me for another couple of stops until I started threatening to call the police. She kept mumbling something about some "murder" and some "criminals" which was borderline disturbing. Naturally, I filed a complaint to Kaunas bus company, but only received a formal "apology" which clearly showed that they aren't going to do anything about it. My subsequent emails were blatantly ignored. Some bus drivers in Kaunas and, it seems, in Vilnius not only have training issues, but some of them have some serious mental disorders which should be addressed and should be a good enough reason not to let such people drive buses at the very least. I think this is just one of numerous indications of what poor state Vilnius (Kaunas, Klaipėda etc.) public transport is in. It seems the people who run it aren't exactly passionate about what they do. I can only hope that this will change one day. For now, we'll keep having what is arguably the worst public transport systems in all of Europe.
First time I went to Lithuania was Vilnius. I get on the bus and ask for 5 tickets. I get 5 tickets and use them on subsequent journeys. Next time I go to Kaunas. I ask for 5 ticket's (in Lithuanian btw as before) and he looks at me like I'm from a different planet. Anyway I presist amd he eventually gives me my tickets. It's only when I sit down I realise I have brought 5 ticket's for the same journey! Driver probably wondered why this stupid English tourist was laughing for the rest of the journey!! 😂😂😂
The next problem you should pester them about are their loud and ear piercing brakes to hopefully push them to do more maintenance It's like most of the busses don't even have the disc brake pads in there anymore, they're just grinding the metal part to stop the bus
As Vilnius resident, who's been using VVT for around 20 years now, both during rush and chill hours. I quite like it. Yeah, the front door can sometimes be annoying, especially if you get drivers with less pleasing personality or in bad mood. But I've seen plenty of them opening front doors during rush hours and they pay more attention, but if its chill, there really isnt a need for it, they tend to wait if they see you running and those couple meters, just see them as exercise. As for the people not going through and standing at the door, I just see that as more of a passenger thing, some tend to stress that they'll miss the exit, so they dont go in deeper while other even in a packed bus try to squeeze through and look annoyed when they are not given space to, despite telling them that you're also getting off with like half of the other people in bus. Its a human factor, so I'd just suggest to squeeze through to make it better for yourself and others. and not just to front, but if its a longer bus, to the middle and very end
I find it really frustrating that drivers choose not to open the front doors anymore. Before COVID, it was standard for all drivers to open them, but they never returned to that practice afterward. It’s especially annoying because it’s not a policy issue-it’s entirely up to the drivers.
1. your covid theory is 100 % wrong. this front door practice exists as long as there are three door busses in use. 2. did you ask the drivers why they don't open the door?
it's ridiculous and huge disrespect to passengers and drivers being lazy isn't an excuse. But ofc it's the administration to blame, they make and enforce or don't enforce the rules, allow them to be broken. It's their fault ultimately, why stop at two, why not use just one door then?
I would think the problem lies more within the buses being overcrowded as they are, front door or not i despise using these things. Green Bridge being the worst culprit
I always prefer the way Kaunas does public transportation
Its so much slower
@dominik9214 how can it be slower if it uses more doors lol.
@@jokubas3391 in Kaunas they go into the bus only through the front
@dominik9214 in reality half or a third also enter though other doors. Anyways, more doors, more speed. two doors is ridiculous and slow. I use both cities buses
Me too, it's much more orderly.
Just back from my 4th Christmas trip to Vilnius...My 9th overall trip to Lithuania....Fantastic country! Happy New Year from Ireland! 🇮🇪👍🇱🇹 Keep up the interesting work on your channel!
In Klaipėda you're advised to enter through front door to not block exit through back door. But at the same time not allowed to exit through front door.
same in kaunas, but exceptions happen regularly
Even in Estonia bus drivers in Tallinn do not open front door if nobody is standing there as embarking and exit is through other doors
I thought I might share how it's done in other places. For example, in most places in Sweden, the front door is used only for embarking, and people scan their in-app tickets by the scanner by the driver's seat. Then people proceed to spread out through the bus, and later get out of the bus through the middle and back doors (which are only used for disembarking). The whole method is kind of similar to the one that Vilnius did use between 2010-2015. In my experience, I think that this is a very efficient method, so maybe Vilnius should consider re-implementing it?
I remember when this was the case - it was implemented as a "measure" to make sure everyone activated their tickets and no one rides for free.
It would take a longer time for everyone to onboard the bus. People were upset about this new way of doing things, and it was cancelled by the next mayor.
@@n.k.939 I remember that time as well. Populist mayor Zuokas changed this practice appeasing the complaints. So now we have all smelly free-riders in our public transport. Thank you Mr. Zuokas!
It was done way before pandemic in order to not distract driver with constant passenger moanings.
I like those POV shots; they make me feel like I'm running for that bus. I also like it when drivers are not sitting behind a glass partition; it makes it easier to exchange a few words, like confirming my route or bus stop. It's like with Balkan drivers - they are paid much less than Baltic busniks and traffic is 3 times crazier, but their attitude towards passengers is much friendlier.
I envy Vilnius these beautufull Solaris buses...
Why not simply ask the drivers. I am sure that all this is about more comfort/privacy.
We always use the front door in Klaipeda
And Kaunas to
Kind of seems like an oversight on the part of the design. If you have to press 3 buttons to open the doors (ofc im not sure of the layout maybe its easier then I think). Just have one button that does all three doors for open and close. Win for all parties; increase the power of A/C or heating for the drivers to make them comfortable as well.
The doors open in Tallinn on the transport but some of the bus designs only half of the front door opens which is impossible to enter with luggage. That also means if you need to pay (for tourists and non-residents) that you have to trudge through half the bus to get to the payment box which is counterproductive to recooping costs.
Ergonomics is important.
atleast in Solaris busses there are 4 buttons for door control. 3 for each of the doors and 4th for all the doors at the same time.
In Riga they only open the front doors 😂
I believe, in Vilnius there was time in past ALL boarding had to be done through frontal door. But it was dropped, I guess, due to prolonged boarding.
7:58 oh, right, you mention it in video.
In Riga they do open the front door, but reluctantly in the cold season. Because tha cab is open and the temperature fluctuates all the time. So they tell me at least.
As a bus driver myself(and actually a third generation), these are the reasons(nothing connected to the corona):
1. Keeping the front part warm(because the drivers are still human, they can get sick)
2. It's especially annoying when someone enters from the first door and stands around the driver when there is unoccupied space in other part of the bus
These reasons are before and after the corona and always present. In the first year or two in my career I was aggravated that people don't enter from the front door, even when I open it earlier and even if the people are coming like the case you ran towards the bus. That's because for years and years the other drivers didn't open it and even were aggressive towards the passengers, so people got used to enter from the other doors.
I'm in my seventh year as a bus driver and although I open all doors(it's quicker and it's actually cringy and uncomfortable to point to a passenger to enter through the other doors), I'm very annoyed if people stand by me. Everyday there are people that from an absolutely empty bus(12/18 meters) they sit on the first seat and watch the driver. That's why I began to put a curtain so I would have some privacy(at least knowing I don't feel people's eyes on me).
And don't get me wrong, for me it's nothing personal, I don't know the people I drive, it's just part of the job that includes working with people. In other jobs many people don't show their frustration, but it's there, believe me. That's why in my free time I try to be of ease to people on their jobs. But in our job many people are selfish and don't care about that. Not to mention that we are actually responsible for the lifes of hundreds and hundreds of people every single day. One mistake or distraction can lead to a tragedy. That itself can be very stressful. And of course we don't think about it(because we won't be able to work), but it's not for everyone.
Cheers!
I believe this is a relic from a period maybe nine years ago, there was this thing that , passengers were allowed to offloaded from front, but they could not enter through front, I remember there was even the stop sign on the front door when you wanted to board the bus
On my daily route: at my bus stop i get on and driver doesn't open the front door for me. Cool, I go to the front for more space like you mentioned, sometimes even lean on the door since I know it won't open. I'm on my phone or something, boom, randomly he starts opening it. I curse so hard in my head when it happens lol
Well, you can play with your phone on a seat(if available), or somewhere else and definitely not leaning on the door. Not to mention that as a passenger a person has a responsibility too and it's not to just buy a ticket. One hand on a handle(for your personal safety) and only if possible the other one on the phone. I don't believe there's something more important on a "smartphone" than a person's life. And obviously it did not occurred to you, but you're blocking the view of the driver(and yes, he needs visibility to both wings of the front door)...
my theory is that it has something to do with ticket sales by drivers. they don't open front door because it would create double jam. first jam would be at the front door. if a person stops to buy a ticket there is no room to pass him in the front. so everyone is waiting outside and bus can't drive away. second jam is in the front area created by all the people who entered through the front door so now everyone who entered through the middle and back door can't reach the driver to by tickets. so not opening the front door is a way to disperse people equally.
Vilnius bus drivers no longer sell tickets.
madeinvilnius.lt/en/transport/public-transport/the-end-of-an-era-in-public-transport-is-no-longer-a-paper-ticket/
@@LithuaniaExplained I know that. so that is an old habit that should go away at some point
I did not even know this. I would guess they introduced this order during the pandemic. No?
In Kaunas, we get in through the front door only (unless we run to the back and get in in the last moment 😅), and get out through all the other doors.
in Kaunas you have to go though the first door and the middle and the last doors are for exiting ,but a lot of passengers go to the first middle last
So... ALL boarding passengers have to pass through NARROW frontal door?
People are not in army and coordinated boarding/de-boarding is not possible.
Much faster is to board via WIDE non-frontal doors after de-boarding passengers left.
Is there any part in the video where I said that? No. My point was that the front door could be used in addition to the other doors.
In my opinion, drivers don't open front door, because I noticed a lot of them remove their outer layer of clothes while driving the bus, as they spend a lot of time in it, so it makes sense to be as comfortable as you can for those long hours. And as the front door is right next to their compartment, it lets in a lot of cold air really quickly. If you open that door in every stop just like others and leave them open as long as the other ones. You are constantly exposing yourself to cold air blasts, which I think a lot of people would agree is not ideal to keep yourself healthy. As for the warm part of the year you have the reverse problem with the aircon. So it is much easier and makes more sense to just use those doors as little as possible for the drivers sake and in some cases even the passengers sake.
Also... the front door only boarding rule was such a stupid idea. The transit got 2-3 times slower because all the people were herded through 1 door so the bus had to stay 2-3 times longer in each stop to board the passengers. And as you said people get in and don't want to move to the far end. So it gets even slower as people try to squish through the people who are already on board. This works if there are 2-3 people in each stop that want to get on, but if you have 10-20 in peak hours, it just makes the entire transit inefficient and discourages people from using public transport entirely, because they start hating the experience.
This indeed is a weird behaviour by the bus drivers. The VVT company ignore any complaints and pretend that this only exists in "individual cases" and refuse to even acknowledge that the problem is systemic and not an issue of individual drivers.
This is nothing however, compared to my experience in Kaunas when I was effectively kidnapped by a trolleybus driver. I think she got upset that I was taking a photo of the trolleybus (or so she thought, because I actually wasn't. Not that it really matters). The trolleybus driver refused to let me out in my stop and drove me for another couple of stops until I started threatening to call the police. She kept mumbling something about some "murder" and some "criminals" which was borderline disturbing. Naturally, I filed a complaint to Kaunas bus company, but only received a formal "apology" which clearly showed that they aren't going to do anything about it. My subsequent emails were blatantly ignored. Some bus drivers in Kaunas and, it seems, in Vilnius not only have training issues, but some of them have some serious mental disorders which should be addressed and should be a good enough reason not to let such people drive buses at the very least.
I think this is just one of numerous indications of what poor state Vilnius (Kaunas, Klaipėda etc.) public transport is in. It seems the people who run it aren't exactly passionate about what they do. I can only hope that this will change one day. For now, we'll keep having what is arguably the worst public transport systems in all of Europe.
First time I went to Lithuania was Vilnius. I get on the bus and ask for 5 tickets. I get 5 tickets and use them on subsequent journeys.
Next time I go to Kaunas. I ask for 5 ticket's (in Lithuanian btw as before) and he looks at me like I'm from a different planet. Anyway I presist amd he eventually gives me my tickets. It's only when I sit down I realise I have brought 5 ticket's for the same journey!
Driver probably wondered why this stupid English tourist was laughing for the rest of the journey!! 😂😂😂
That was really funny😅
The next problem you should pester them about are their loud and ear piercing brakes to hopefully push them to do more maintenance
It's like most of the busses don't even have the disc brake pads in there anymore, they're just grinding the metal part to stop the bus
As Vilnius resident, who's been using VVT for around 20 years now, both during rush and chill hours. I quite like it. Yeah, the front door can sometimes be annoying, especially if you get drivers with less pleasing personality or in bad mood. But I've seen plenty of them opening front doors during rush hours and they pay more attention, but if its chill, there really isnt a need for it, they tend to wait if they see you running and those couple meters, just see them as exercise. As for the people not going through and standing at the door, I just see that as more of a passenger thing, some tend to stress that they'll miss the exit, so they dont go in deeper while other even in a packed bus try to squeeze through and look annoyed when they are not given space to, despite telling them that you're also getting off with like half of the other people in bus. Its a human factor, so I'd just suggest to squeeze through to make it better for yourself and others. and not just to front, but if its a longer bus, to the middle and very end
I find it really frustrating that drivers choose not to open the front doors anymore. Before COVID, it was standard for all drivers to open them, but they never returned to that practice afterward. It’s especially annoying because it’s not a policy issue-it’s entirely up to the drivers.
If the administriation wanted to enforce it, they could do it in a day.
Now I wish that Kaunas would do the same, not opening the first door
Kaunas does use front door boarding
why?...
@@jokubas3391 buses will be less crowded
@@PemycOfficial buses will be less crowded if the first door if less doors are opened?
1. your covid theory is 100 % wrong. this front door practice exists as long as there are three door busses in use. 2. did you ask the drivers why they don't open the door?
it's ridiculous and huge disrespect to passengers
and drivers being lazy isn't an excuse. But ofc it's the administration to blame, they make and enforce or don't enforce the rules, allow them to be broken. It's their fault
ultimately, why stop at two, why not use just one door then?
I would think the problem lies more within the buses being overcrowded as they are, front door or not i despise using these things. Green Bridge being the worst culprit