The call for names for four electric passenger ships that will begin regular sailings on the Neris River this summer has received extremely active public participation, with over 3000 name suggestions received. 20 names are being put forward for the final vote, from which the public is invited to choose four.
“Electric passenger ships in Vilnius will become not only another sustainable mobility option, but also, we believe, a new symbol of the city. The public actively participated in suggesting names for the capital’s new electric ships. We received hundreds of inventive, emotional and original name suggestions. This initiative has become a joint work that reflects the creativity and involvement of the city’s residents,” says the Mayor of Vilnius. Valdas Benkunskas.
During the initial selection, duplicates or variants that did not meet the official requirements were eliminated. In the final stage, residents are invited to vote for their 4 favorite names out of 20 selected. 10 of them were the names most often suggested by the public, and another 10 were selected by a commission formed exclusively for this initiative. The 20 selected names: Gediminas, Neris, Mindaugas, Rytas, Geležinis Vilkas, Vytautas the Great, Laisvė, Vilnelė, Vilnis, Lizdeika, Morta, Kristoforas, Vilnius, Vasara, Versmė, Šventaragis, Smilga, Lašiša, Vilija, Milda.
All 20 names can be found on the voting platform www.isrinkvarda.lt, where everyone is invited to choose the 4 they like the most. Voting will take place until May 26, and the 4 names with the most votes will be officially registered in the Inland Waterway Vessel Register and will be given to the new capital ships.
"Electric ships will be characterized by extremely high quality, durability and modern solutions - every detail of them has been thought out so that a trip on the river would be not only convenient and safe, but also enjoyable. The ships will be quiet, comfortable, environmentally friendly, adapted to all passengers - cyclists, people with disabilities, families with small children. This is a unique opportunity to create a new sustainable mode of transportation in the capital together with partners," says UAB "Vilnius public transport" leader Ignas Degutis.
People actively suggested their own names and the names of their relatives, as well as the names of historical figures who have served Lithuania or are significant to the capital. This reflects the values of society and the desire to give meaning to important symbols in the life of the city. Among the submitted options, there was no shortage of original and playful ideas, such as Puškutis, Neribusas, Judrius, Krantvydas, LaiNERIS, Purslius, Bangobusas, Laivobusas, Teliuškus, Bangainis.
The commission is composed of the Mayor of Vilnius City Valdas Benkunskas, Head of the Shipping Department of UAB "Vilniaus viešasis transportas" Mindaugas Žiedelis, JUDU Public transport Head of the organization Arnas Misiūnas, representative of the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration Eglė Kučinskaitė, member of the board of the Lithuanian Hydrobiological Society Kęstutis Skrupskelis, historian Prof. Alfredas Bumblauskas, head of the "City Laboratory" Goda Sosnovskienė, sustainability expert Silvestras Dikčius.
The Nerimi passenger transport project is being implemented by a team from various Vilnius city municipalities companies cooperating to ensure the full implementation of the new service. UAB "Vilniaus viešasis transportas" will perform the functions of the service operator, SĮ "Communication services" (JUDU) is responsible for organizing the service, UAB "Beam" takes care of the installation and maintenance of the infrastructure, and UAB "Vilnius lighting" will install ship charging equipment and provide access lighting.
