Kaunas handed over 20 city buses to the war-ravaged Kharkiv

Communications disrupted by rockets

“Kaunas is constantly in contact with partner cities in the war-torn country. Last autumn, representatives of the municipality visited Ukraine and personally met with the Mayor of Kharkiv, Igor Terekhov. After learning that the city, which is experiencing constant attacks, has serious challenges with public transport, we offered them help – to transfer two dozen older buses. They have been successfully rolling through the streets of Kaunas until these days, so they will undoubtedly be useful there as well”, says Kaunas Deputy Mayor Andrius Palionis.

The first six buses have already reached Ukraine. They were driven out of Kaunas by the employees of the Kharkiv Tram Depot who visited here last week. According to the drivers, currently there is not enough existing transport to rebuild routes in the city, so Kaunas’ help will be a big boost.

Photo of the organizers/The first six buses have already reached Ukraine

“People are easily returning to the city, so it is necessary to revive public transport routes. Kharkiv is located near the border with Russia. The city is under fire every day, rockets are constantly flying. Their path takes about half a minute, so sometimes, when sirens are wailing, running to hide is simply pointless.

Last week, several rockets flew past my house near the border. It’s good that it fell nearby, in the forest. People were not injured, but the infrastructure was damaged. Our greatest hope is that the war will finally end.

During the bombings, the heating system, metro and tram lines were damaged, so buses remained the main form of transportation, and many of them were also destroyed,” said Alexander, who works as a bus driver in Kharkiv, about the current situation.

Before the war, the city was served by a municipal company and private transporters – almost 500 vehicles rolled out on the streets every day. After the attacks of the occupiers began, private companies immediately stopped their activities, only the city’s public transport remained – about a hundred buses.

Multifaceted assistance to Ukrainians

As early as March 2022, the Kauno bus company prepared and handed over ten buses loaded with humanitarian aid to the Ukrainians. At that time, indifferent citizens of Kaunas donated foodstuffs and essential items to the people of the war-torn country.

This time, 20 buses are ready for departure – nine “Solaris” in technical order and serviceable, which the company bought in 2004-2005. bought brand new. The rest – in 2006. produced by Volvo, who arrived in Kaunas six years ago.

“These buses were plying the streets of Kaunas a few days ago. Six of them are already in Kharkiv. If we have the opportunity to help, we cannot remain indifferent. Even small works can go a long way, so we contribute to helping Ukrainians in various ways. We are trying to help not only those who remain in our country, but also those who are fleeing the horrors of war and have found a safe haven in Kaunas”, says Mindaugas Grigelis, CEO of “Kaunas busses”.

The company not only transfers vehicles, but also engages in the integration of war refugees into the labor market. Currently, 24 Ukrainian citizens work in it, successfully transporting citizens of Kaunas on city and district routes.

Support from the first days of the war

Kaunas has been providing help and support to the people of Ukraine since the beginning of the war. Already in the first days, they began to take care of the refugees’ accommodation, food, and necessary social services.

The city provided premises on Žeimenos Street, where one of the four branches of the International School of Ukraine operating in Lithuania was located.

Thousands of people have received one-time payments on the initiative of the Kaunas municipality. Ukrainians are guaranteed free travel by city public transport – a total of about 16,000 passes have been issued in two years. electronic ticket cards. Now about 6.4 thousand people use this benefit. refugees.