CARRIAGE OF PASSENGERS AND LUGGAGE BY LONG-DISTANCE TRANSPORT RULES
GENERAL
1. The Regulations of Passenger and Luggage Transportation by Road, hereinafter referred to as the “Regulations”, provide for the obligations, rights and liability of road transport businesses using motor vehicles for passenger transportation, hereinafter referred to as the “Carriers”, and users of motor vehicles, hereinafter referred to as the “Passengers”.
SALE AND RETURN OF TICKETS
2. On scheduled services, carriers are required to charge set fares and crews are required to sell tickets (baggage vouchers) in the prescribed form. On a single journey, all passengers shall be charged the same fare for the same distance travelled, and the discounts provided for in the Law on Transport Concessions of the Republic of Lithuania (Official Gazette of the Republic of Lithuania, 2000, No 32-890) shall be applied to the total fare or to the fare obtained after other discounts.
3. It shall be prohibited to sell two or more tickets with the discount provided for in the Law on Transport Concessions of the Republic of Lithuania instead of one ticket, to print tickets with the discount provided for in the Law on Transport Concessions of the Republic of Lithuania by means of a cash register in the absence of passengers, or to print the data of two or more tickets with the discount provided for in the Law on Transport Concessions of the Republic of Lithuania on one ticket.
4. The documents authorising the right to travel and to carry luggage on a regular transport route shall be numbered tickets and luggage vouchers. The passenger must keep the ticket (luggage voucher) until the end of the journey and present it to the crew or the inspecting officer upon request, except when travelling on a local (suburban) or long-distance regular transport route, when the ticket (luggage voucher) has been obtained electronically or when exercising the right of free travel under the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on transport concessions.
5. The crew shall keep a record of tickets sold on the vehicles on the ticket control sheet.
6. Tickets for local (suburban) and long-distance regular transport routes sold at the ticket offices of bus stations shall contain the following information: the name of the carrier, the departure and destination bus stations (stops), the date of departure, the time of departure, the price of the journey, the amount of the percentage of the discount provided for in the Law on Transport Concessions of the Republic of Lithuania, the seating capacity and the number of the departure platform. Carriers must use cash registers in their vehicles, as provided for in the description of the procedure for the installation and use of cash registers, approved by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania by Resolution No 1283 of 13 August 2002 (Žin, 2002, No 82-3522; 2005, No 97-3654), which shall print on the tickets: the name of the carrier, the date and time of sale of the ticket, the departure and destination bus stations (stops), the fare, the amount of the discount in percentage, as laid down in the Law on Transport Concessions of the Republic of Lithuania, as well as a report of the tickets sold on the route, which shall be kept with the ticket control sheet.
7. A ticket (luggage voucher) for a local (suburban) or long-distance regular route is valid only on the day and for the journey for which it is sold. The validity of tickets (luggage vouchers) for local (urban) regular transport routes shall be determined by the municipal authorities or by the bodies authorised by them.
8. Tickets (luggage vouchers) for all same-day same-day same-day services on long-distance regular services shall be sold at bus station ticket offices and other sales points from the moment they are opened, and sales shall cease 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Tickets shall be sold to passengers without limitation as to the number of passengers, but within the capacity limits specified in the technical specifications of the vehicle. Only one baggage voucher per passenger may be sold in advance. Baggage vouchers for the carriage of a second piece of baggage or a piece of baggage larger than the dimensions referred to in point 63 shall be sold only on board vehicles if there are still seats available in the luggage compartment after the boarding of passengers.
9. The crew must sell tickets (luggage vouchers) to passengers immediately after they board the vehicle. It is forbidden to leave the premises of bus stations and bus stops without completing the sale of tickets (luggage vouchers) to all passengers on board and without completing the travel documents in the prescribed manner. If the crews do not have enough time to sell tickets (baggage vouchers) to all passengers boarding the vehicle, the carrier may apply to the body which issued the authorisation to carry passengers on the regular service for an adjustment of the timetable.
10. A passenger who refuses to buy a ticket (baggage voucher) shall be disembarked from the vehicle.
11. Pre-sale of tickets (baggage vouchers) and acceptance of orders for tickets (baggage vouchers) may be organised at bus station ticket offices or other sales points. Passengers may be charged a set fee for this.
12. Advance sales and acceptance of orders for tickets (baggage vouchers) shall start at least 7 calendar days before the departure date and shall end on the day before departure. If the customer does not collect the tickets (baggage vouchers): for advance bookings within two days, for same-day bookings within one hour before departure, the booking shall be cancelled and the tickets (baggage vouchers) shall be sold as normal.
13. The passenger has the right to return the ticket and baggage voucher before the departure of the vehicle and to receive any money paid for them in the following cases:
13.1. when the journey is cancelled or the vehicle is delayed in departure for more than 15 minutes;
13.1.2. when the passenger does not receive the seat indicated on the ticket or an alternative seat.
14. When a passenger returns tickets and/or baggage vouchers purchased for a local (suburban) or long-distance journey, he/she shall be refunded:
14.1. on request at least two hours before the scheduled departure time, the full price of the ticket/baggage receipt;
14.1.2. if requested less than two hours but not less than 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time, at least 85 % of the price of the ticket (baggage voucher).
15. In the case provided for in point 39 of these Rules, the money shall be refunded to the passenger at the ticket office of the bus station of departure or, in its absence, by the crew or the carrier. In the case provided for in point 40 of these Rules, the money shall be refunded to the passenger at the point of sale of the ticket (baggage receipt).
16. After the departure of the vehicle, money for unused tickets (baggage vouchers) shall not be refunded, except in cases of illness or accidents, if the passenger presents to the carrier the documents confirming this and the used ticket (baggage voucher). The carrier shall reimburse to the passenger at least 75 % of the price of the ticket/baggage voucher within three days.
17. When, due to impassable roads, severe weather conditions, vehicle breakdown or other reasons beyond the control of the carrier, it is not possible to take the passenger or the luggage to the bus station (bus stop) of destination, the carrier shall refund the amount paid for the journey and the carriage of the luggage from the point of termination of the journey to the bus station (bus stop). If the vehicle and the passenger return to the bus stop of departure for the reasons mentioned above, the passenger shall be reimbursed in full at the ticket office of the bus stop of departure or, in its absence, by the carrier.
BOARDING, TRANSPORTATION AND DISEMBARKING OF PASSENGERS
18. Boarding of passengers at the departure platforms of the initial bus depots of shuttle routes begins not later than 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Departure of the vehicle may be delayed for 5 minutes at the maximum in the cases where tickets should be sold for a larger number of passengers in the vehicle.
19. Passengers shall be boarded and disembarked at scheduled bus-stops.
20. Transportation of drunken passengers, wearing dirty clothes, carrying luggage that is banned for transportation, smoking in the passenger’s saloon and disturbing the comfort of other passengers is banned. The crew or the bus conductor has the right to disembark such passengers at the nearest bus-stop of any type.
RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE CREW
21. The crew has the right:
21.1. To disembark passengers if they refuse to pay for the trip;
21.2. To refuse to board or to disembark drunken passengers, wearing dirty clothes, carrying luggage that is banned for transportation or otherwise violating the Regulations, at the nearest bus-stop of any type;
22. The crew is under the obligation:
22.1. to ensure the safe carriage of passengers and baggage, and to provide impeccable passenger service (no rude behaviour that is offensive to the dignity of the passengers, no smoking in the cabin, no loud radios, tape recorders, or VCRs, if this is unacceptable to at least one of the passengers, etc.);
22.2. To have the crew’s documents during the trip;
22.3. To follow valid routes and traffic schedules.
RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE PASSENGERS
23. A passenger has the right:
23.1. To occupy a seat specified in the ticket;
23.2. To carry or send free of charge luggage in accordance with item 11.1 of the Regulations;
23.3. To travel free of charge, to transport a child free of charge and to use other transportation privileges in accordance with item 10.1 of the Regulations;
23.4. Not to pay a surcharge for the ticket price, to receive a difference or a compensation for the ticket price in the cases specified in Section 6 of the Regulations;
23.5. To return the ticket and get back the money paid for the ticket or part thereof in the cases specified in Section 6 of the Regulations.
24. The passenger must:
24.1. purchase a ticket (baggage receipt);
24.2. keep the ticket and the baggage voucher until the end of the journey and present them to the crew or the controlling officer on request;
24.3. take care of his/her own safety by sitting down and fastening his/her seat belt if available and holding on to the handrail when standing;
24.4. observe the established procedures;
24.5. to carry and produce to the Control Officer, at the request of the Control Officer, the original documents proving:
24.5.1. identity (when the ticket for a local (suburban) or long-distance regular transport route has been purchased electronically);
24.5.2. entitlement to transport concessions (for regular journeys);
24.5.3. belonging to a special group of passengers (for special journeys) – identity and affiliation to a workplace, educational institution, etc.;
24.5.4. payment for a tourist service – when travelling for tourist purposes (charter flights).
PRIVILEGES OF THE PASSENGERS
25. Persons of the categories set out in the Law on Transport Concessions of the Republic of Lithuania benefit from concessions on local (urban and suburban) and long-distance regular transport. Persons who present original documents certifying their right to purchase a ticket with the appropriate discount shall be entitled to purchase a ticket with the appropriate discount.
26. Each passenger shall be entitled to free carriage on regular local (city and suburban) buses and trolleybuses, regular coaches and passenger trains for two children under the age of 7 years without occupying a separate seat or sleeping place.
27. The right to travel free of charge on passenger transport shall be granted to officials controlling passenger transport in accordance with the procedure established by the Government or its authorised body.
28. The following persons shall have the right to purchase a single-use ticket for long-distance regular bus services, a single-use or a fixed-term nominal ticket for local (urban and suburban) regular bus services and trolleybuses, passenger trains, regular boats and ferries with an 80 per cent discount:
1) Persons with a disability or persons recognised as disabled children before 1 July 2005 and their accompanying persons (one accompanying person per person);
2) persons recognised as incapable of work, persons who have reached the age of old-age pension, persons who have a level of severe special needs established in accordance with the procedure laid down by the legislation, persons who were recognised as disabled of group I prior to 1 July 2005, and persons accompanying them (one accompanying person per person);
3) persons suffering from diseases included in the list established by the Ministry of Health and requiring haemodialysis on a permanent basis, and their accompanying persons (one accompanying person per person);
4) persons aged 80 years and over;
5) Defenders of independence of the Republic of Lithuania, recognised as partially able to work or having reached the age of old-age pension, who have a level of moderate special needs established in accordance with the procedure laid down by the legislation (recognised as a disabled person of group II or III before 1 July 2005) as a result of the aggression of the USSR on 11-13 January 1991 and after that;
6) family members of the fallen defenders of the independence of the Republic of Lithuania who suffered from the aggression of the USSR on 11-13 January 1991 and thereafter;
7) participants in the resistance to the occupations of 1940-1990 – volunteer soldiers aged 70 and over.
29. The following persons shall have the right to purchase a single-use ticket for long-distance regular buses, a single-use or a fixed-term nominal ticket for local (city and suburban) regular buses and trolleybuses, passenger trains, regular boats, and ferries with a 50 per cent discount:
1) persons recognised as partially able to work, or persons who have reached the age of old-age pension and who have a medium level of special needs established in accordance with the procedure laid down by the legislation (recognised as disabled in Group II before 1 July 2005);
2) participants in the resistance to the occupation of 1940-1990 – volunteer soldiers under the age of 70 and participants in the freedom struggle;
3) victims of the occupations of 1939-1990 – political prisoners and exiles, former prisoners of ghettos, concentration or other types of forced labour camps;
4) defenders of the independence of the Republic of Lithuania who suffered from the aggression of the USSR on 11-13 January 1991 and thereafter;
5) persons aged between 70 and 80 years.
30. The right to purchase a single-use ticket for long-distance regular buses, a single-use or a fixed-term nominal ticket for local (suburban) regular buses, passenger trains with a 50 per cent discount shall be granted to full-time students of higher education institutions, citizens of the Republic of Lithuania and citizens of other Member States of the European Union who are studying in the full-time departments of higher education institutions of the Member States of the European Union, and to full-time pupils of vocational training institutions.
31. The right to purchase a single ticket with a 50 per cent discount for long-distance regular buses, local (suburban) regular buses and passenger trains shall be granted to children aged between 7 and 10 years.
32. A passenger carrying several children up to 7 years of age on long-distance regular buses, local (city and suburban) regular buses and trolleybuses, passenger trains shall be entitled to a single ticket with a 50 per cent discount for the third and other children up to 7 years of age. From 2019, a 50 per cent discount is available for those transporting a child up to 7 years of age to buy a separate seat.
33. Full-time students of higher education institutions, citizens of the Republic of Lithuania and other European Union Member States studying in full-time departments of higher education institutions of the European Union Member States, children aged 7 to 8 years, full-time students of general education schools, full-time students of vocational training institutions and students of the National Mikolaj Konstantinas Čiurlionis School of Arts are entitled to purchase a ticket for a ride in local (city) regular buses and trolleybuses with the following discounts:
1) a fixed-term nominal travel ticket – with an 80 per cent discount;
2) a single-use ticket with a 50 per cent discount.
34. Students of the National Mikolaj Konstantinas Čiurlionis Art School and conservatories have the right to purchase a single-use ticket for long-distance regular buses, a single-use or a fixed-rate nominal ticket for local (suburban) regular buses and passenger trains with a 50 per cent discount.
35. Municipalities may additionally, in accordance with the procedure established by the municipality, allow persons of other categories of persons to purchase a discounted ticket for travel on regular local (urban and suburban) buses and trolleybuses, as well as to purchase a discounted ticket for travel on certain days of the week or during certain hours of the day. Municipalities reimburse the costs of these concessions from their own budget.
36. In local (urban and suburban) regular transport, 6 seats shall be allocated to disabled passengers, passengers with small children, pregnant women and elderly persons, which shall be marked with the inscription “For passengers with children and disabled persons” or with the corresponding symbol. Other passengers must give up these seats to the persons indicated when they sit down.
37. On long-distance regular services, for passengers with tickets that do not specify seats, the crew shall offer them to give up their seats to disabled passengers, passengers with small children, pregnant women and elderly persons.
38. The driver of a regular long-distance vehicle must stop the vehicle and release disabled persons, passengers with small children, pregnant women and elderly persons at any type of stop on request.
LUGGAGE TRANSPORTATION AND SAFEKEEPING
39. Each passenger shall be entitled to carry, free of charge in the cabin of the vehicle, one piece of hand luggage with dimensions of not more than 60 x 40 x 20 cm or the sum of the dimensions of which does not exceed 120 cm. Pupils and students shall be entitled to carry free of charge one piece of hand luggage larger than that provided for in this paragraph, which is necessary for their education or studies.
40. One piece of luggage may be carried free of charge in the luggage compartment of the vehicle. A second piece of luggage with dimensions not exceeding 100 x 50 x 30 cm or the sum of the dimensions of which does not exceed 180 cm shall be carried for a charge. A passenger may carry a second piece of luggage of these dimensions or larger only if there are seats available in the luggage compartment at the end of boarding.
41. Baggage shall be accepted by the crew at the vehicle’s luggage compartment and issued at the point of destination on presentation of a baggage voucher or ticket.
42. For the carriage of passengers in a passenger car on a charter service, luggage and other articles shall be allowed in the car, provided that they do not obstruct the driver’s view and do not damage or deface the car’s equipment, seats and upholstery, and muzzled dogs and other pets and birds shall be kept in special cages. Owners of animals must have a cover to cover the seats to prevent soiling. Dog owners must have documentation showing the dog’s health status and vaccination marks. The boot of a passenger car shall be loaded with cargo or luggage up to the maximum permitted load of the car and shall not interfere with the closing of the boot.
43. Luggage with dimensions not exceeding 100 x 50 x 30 cm or with total dimensions not exceeding 180 cm shall be stored in the luggage compartments of stations for a fee, with the exception of flammable, explosive, odorous, flammable materials, pointed, cutting objects, weapons. Luggage with larger dimensions shall be stored only if it is technically possible to store it.
44. Baggage shall be charged separately for each item of baggage by means of a baggage receipt.
45. A passenger has the right to assess the luggage carried in the luggage compartment or deposited at the station. A fee for the valuation shall be charged as determined by the carrier or the owner/operator of the station. If the amount of the valuation is not agreed, the baggage with the valuation shall not be accepted.
46. Baggage accepted for carriage or storage shall be packed in an orderly manner, except for baggage which does not require packing.
47. The carriage on board vehicles of flammable, explosive, odorous, flammable or flammable materials, pointed or cutting objects, weapons, objects likely to soil the upholstery of the vehicle or the clothing of passengers, luggage which is clumsy and obstructs passage, animals in bulk, is prohibited.
48. Luggage is stored at stations:
48.1. in automatic luggage racks for 5 days, after which it shall be deposited in the general luggage rack or warehouse;
48.2. in common luggage racks for 30 days.
49. If the luggage is not claimed by the owner within 30 days, it shall be disposed of. 50. A small consignment shall be accepted for carriage in the luggage compartment of the vehicle if its dimensions do not exceed 100 cm x 50 cm x 30 cm, or if the sum of the dimensions does not exceed 180 cm. The carrier may refuse to accept a small consignment larger than the prescribed size.
LOST AND FOUND
51. Items found on the premises of a bus station or on board a vehicle shall be deposited in the luggage compartment of that bus station or in another place designated by the carrier and known to the crews and passengers. Items found on board vehicles on local/urban services shall be deposited in a place designated by the carrier.
52. The crew shall draw up a report detailing the items found or presented to them by the passenger, including the circumstances of their discovery. The report shall be handed over together with the articles found. Documents, weapons and ammunition found shall be handed over to the police immediately.
53. The items shall be stored for 30 days, perishable property for up to 24 hours, and then disposed of in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of the Republic of Lithuania.
54. The items shall be returned to the owner, but before that, the owner shall reimburse the costs of keeping the item and other costs related to the find.
INSPECTION OF CARRIERS, CREW AND PASSENGERS
55. If an infringement of the requirements of these rules is detected, the controlling officers shall draw up an administrative offence report, if this is subject to administrative liability. In other cases, an appropriate act shall be drawn up.
56. Enforcement officers shall have the right to bring to a police office passengers who have travelled without tickets (luggage vouchers) and who refuse to purchase them and/or do not have the identity documents necessary to draw up a report of an administrative offence.
57. If, during the control, the controlling officers detect cases of inadequate passenger service, as well as inadequate provision of information to passengers about the carrier’s details or failure to provide them on board the vehicles, they shall inform the carrier and the competent body which issued the permits for carriage of passengers on a regular transport route in order to take the appropriate measures.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF PASSENGERS AND CREW
58. Carriers, crews and passengers shall be held liable for violations of these rules in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of the Republic of Lithuania.
59. The administrative offence report does not relieve the passenger of the obligation to purchase a ticket (luggage voucher), i.e. to pay for carriage.
60. Carriers must establish standards of impeccable and courteous behaviour towards passengers. On receipt of information about breaches of these norms, the managers of carriers must immediately investigate the circumstances of the ill-treatment of passengers by the crews and, if confirmed, take the measures provided for by law against the crews.
