Marshrutkas

A marshrutka, also know as a share taxi is a special type of transport found mainly in ex-soviet countries and the Baltics. It’s like a minibus with a few seats which is perfectly acceptable, except when rush hour comes and 40 other people come piling into the same bus and you are squeezed in so much you have no room to breathe! The driver will also be often be on his old Nokia 3310 style mobile phone chatting to other drivers whilst driving and trying to collect money and give change.

Despite their quirks, marshrutkas are very quick and often overtake buses and trolleybuses who are forced to stop at every stop.

How to Use & Pay

The price varies between routes and you’ll find the current price printed on an A4 piece of paper stuck with sticky tape inside somewhere. To pay you should leave your money on the carpet near the driver and he will give you your change. Officially he should give you a ticket too, but in practice he won’t and you’ll never usually find a ticket inspector on such routes.

Marshrutkas don’t stop at every stop like buses and trams, so if you want one to stop for you, you need to put out your hand to signal them. To get off the marshrutka you need to shout “Наступна зупинка” or “Nastupna zupynka” and he will stop at the next stop for you.