Kaunas, the second city of Lithuania, inherited public transport systems that were typically Soviet-era. On gaining independence, a number of private service operators sprang up using microbuses. Until recently there was a range of different services and tickets, unreliable timetable information and non-existent customer service procedures. Kaunas won two awards in 2005 for sustainable transport initiatives: the Union of Baltic Cities' Best Environmental Practice Award and the EU's CIVITAS Implementing Sustainable Transport Policies - Best Demonstration City Award. Prospective EU membership allowed Kaunas City Municipality (KCM) to gain funding and to take part in projects linking it with other EU member states. Improvements included coordinating the routes of the two municipal providers (Autrolis for buses and Kauno autobusai for trolley buses) and the microbus operators. KCM has invested heavily in the PIKAS route mapping and management system from Merakas Ltd. All new routes are published on the KCM website. A single ticket system operates on all services. There are plans for investment in global positioning systems for all public and private transport service vehicles in the city.
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