There are a number of variants of how to get from A to B within the city.
Trams and Trolley Buses: Cheap, Easy and Entertaining!
The tram is the means of transport I tend to use the most frequently. It only costs 75 kopecks (15 cent US) and tends to be rather efficient. While from time to time it feels as if the driver is in fact training for the upcoming formula one season, it is generally not the quickest mode of transport. However, it is the perfect way to avoid delays caused by rush hour traffic – event though then it can be packed tighter than a can of sardines. Some trams that were bought from Germany still have the door-opener buttons. These are completely useless, though – all the doors always open at every station, be it winter or summer. The number of the tram is usually displayed on its front.
The trolley buses fall into the same category as the tram: cheap and – usually – reliable. They cost 75 kopecks a ride (15 cent US) and should not be chose when in a rush. One thing that sometimes goes wrong with the trolley buses is that the electrical poles disconnect from the overhead wires. Seeing the driver, usually a woman, equip herself with rubber gloves and a long pole carried for this purpose, and try to reconnect the poles can be quite a picture. It is strange that Ukrainian males, otherwise so intent on proving that they are gentlemen, seldom help the women drivers.
The challenge of the Marshurtka!
The marshrutka (mini-bus, from the German ‘Marschroute’, ‘marching route’) is the type of public transportation that I find the most challenging to use. Like with the other kinds, the number of the route is displayed at the front. There is also a list of streets and destiantions next to it – but of course in Cyrillic, which makes it the first challenge to read them as they quickly approach.
In many cities marshrutkas differ from the other kinds of public transport in that they do not have fixed stops. The first step in using a marshrutka, getting it to stop is easy, though. Simply extend your arm and wave it up and down visibly enough to flag one down.
The second step, after you have boarded the vehicle and hopefully found a seat, is paying. Unlike on the tram or the trolley bus there is no conductor here to collect money. You simply have to pass money forward to the driver. The fare is usually 2 UAH (40 cent US), and change is passed back the same way. So if someone passes you money, they are not simply being generous to you. My advice is to avoid sitting near the front of the bus and on the left aisle seat. This position soon leads to you being the middle man between the driver and the other passengers, a sort of honorary conductor. There’s not commission for this though, and a difficulty is understanding how many people the banknote you’re supposed to be passing on is meant to pay for.
The third step is the most challenging: Without any fixed stops, you have to let the driver know where to stop. You do this by shouting out the name of the street crossing or some other landmark as you near it. Of course, if you are as clueless about both Russian and Ukrainian as I am your appaling pronuncation can be rather amusing for the rest of the passengers. If you do not feel comfortable with exposing yourself as a clueless foreigner, but are not so clueless as to not recognize your destinatio, you can always get off when someone else does. A problem with this, as with shouting out your destination in time, can be that while the marshrutkas seat about 15 people, they are sometimes packed with twice that number. If you are standing, bending down to look out of the windows which are much lower to check what the marshrutka is presently passing can be a challenge of its own.
Traveling by Taxi
When catching a taxi in Ukraine it is best either to use the services of a taxi call center or employ the assistance of a local. The tendency amongst taxi drivers is to overcharge if you are a foreigner and you could end up paying as much as double the regular price.
Although a taxi might seem the quick and easy option, it can get really complicated as, strangely enough, many drivers need far more than the address of the destination. Answering questions about where exactly where you want to go is in Russian can be an adventure, and on occasion you might even end up in an argument with the driver if you know the place he insists on to be wrong.
If finally you are headed in the right direction and at a reasonable price, it is time to admire the driving skills of your driver. These can range from maddeningly slow to suicidally fast and risky. I once even had a driver who seemed to be intent to complete a 15 minute taxi ride by the end of a 7 minute song he popped into the tape deck at the start! Most of the time, though, taxis are a comfortable, even though costly way, to get where you want to go.
Text by Alex Gödde, Germany
