Driving a trolleybus is both the first and only job Vida Ališiūnienė has ever had. She took the wheel just after earning her driving licence, aged 19.
“Where do the most beautiful women work? Of course, they drive trolleybuses,” says Ališiūnienė, smiling.
Originally from Girkalnis in the Raseiniai district, she moved to Kaunas with dreams of becoming a lawyer. Now, she admits a trace of regret at not pursuing higher education and has always stressed to her children the importance of studying.
“As a child, I was very mischievous. I never imagined myself in such a steady job – maybe I wanted to be a flight attendant,” the long-serving driver told LRT TV.
Before setting off, Ališiūnienė tunes into LRT RADIO or plays a song by Birutė Petrikytė. Her colleagues even call her Birutė at times, as the two women share a striking resemblance.
Still, she says she doesn’t sing while driving – her full attention is on her passengers. And she never forgets to apply lipstick before heading out.
Her day begins at 02:30 in the morning, with the first route departing the depot shortly after 04:00. Over the years, Vida has noticed a shift in the demographics of her passengers – fewer people in their 30s take public transport.
As a result, she takes extra care to ensure elderly passengers have time to board and find a seat. That said, her greatest joy comes from transporting children.
“I love it when the kids wave to me. After getting off, they glance back shyly, validate their tickets, stand there, and then wave again – I wave back, and they turn around once more,” she says.
Although some children should pay more attention, Ališiūnienė warns.
“Young people walk across pedestrian crossings while staring at their phones. They don't look up. Sure, I’ll stop – but why don’t parents teach them to look? I think about my own granddaughters – when it’s your own, you start to worry,” she says.
If trolleybus drivers are polite and respectful, passengers will return that same kindness. Once, a group of young people got on and began singing a song that had been dedicated to her.
“Young people have improved a lot,” she says. “They used to pull the trolley electricity poles down for fun – now that almost never happens. They get on, greet me, and validate their tickets.”
In her view, it would be great to see more young people take the driver’s seat. She plans to continue working but feels that salaries for trolleybus drivers should be higher.
An experienced professional, Ališiūnienė stresses the importance of emotional readiness before every shift.
“You never know who you’ll meet. You have to come in and leave your problems behind. You can’t lose your temper – if you do, it’ll affect you and your passengers,” she says.
Winter also presents some of the biggest challenges. On especially stormy days, she recalls struggling even to get the trolleybus onto the road. During the coldest months, the doors would sometimes freeze shut, forcing passengers to open them manually. The hardest days, she says, are those when the frost sets in.
“We sit there freezing, the overhead wires are iced over, and the trolleybus just won’t move,” she explains.
Over nearly five decades behind the wheel, Vida has seen it all – including one dramatic moment when she helped save a baby. She was working when she spotted a pram rolling downhill, accompanied only by a four- or five-year-old girl.
“The pram started to roll – there was a slope leading to the stop. I was terrified. I hit the brakes, rushed out the door. The girl was screaming but didn’t try to stop the pram. Later, people said: ‘What a great driver.’ I managed to stop it. That child could have rolled into the street. Even now, when I pass that spot, I still think about it,” she recalls.
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