An Ode to the Marshrutka

The marshrutka, for those of you who don't know and are too lazy to click on the link, is a short bus (somewhat similar in size to the "short school bus") that serves as the main means of intra-city public transportation here in Ukraine. They account for roughly a third of all vehicles that are seen on the roads here in my city. Up until a couple of months ago, I rarely set foot on one, and even then only with someone local who knew exactly where it would go. However, once I started dating my previous girlfriend, I used them quite often to go to her house, as taking a taxi every time was getting to be cost prohibitive. After moving out of my own flat located in the city center, though, they quickly became my means of going anywhere that was too far away to be a short walk, including to work.

Anyone who lives in the United States will be in for a bit of a shock the first time they board a marshrutka, and I was no exception. The small size of the marshrutka actually belies the amount of space on the inside. It's almost like stepping into the Tardis, except not quite as profound of a difference, and without all of flair, such as time traveling capabilities. However, once inside, you'll quickly find out that no matter how much space it seems to have, it's never quite enough, especially during the busy times of the day, or late at night, when only a few marshrutki are out and about.

The seats are laid out quite the same in all marshrutki (plural form of marshrutka), regardless of the type of vehicle. Most marshrutki have around 15 or 16 seats inside. Two seats in the left row, and one seat in the right, with the aisle in between. The windows are large and copious, and the seats can vary, ranging from comfortable and roomy, to cramped and torturous. Many marshrutki have a small baggage rack about the left row, and all have some kind of hand-bar that runs almost the full length of the passenger bay for the inevitable overflow passengers. Some marshrutki will even have passenger-side seats available in the driver compartment. The entry door for all passengers is on the left side of the vehicle.

Not all marshrutki here in my city have the same fare, but the average fare is about 2 gryvna (25 cents US). The fare will vary, often depending on the total length of the bus route, but most often you will pay about 2 gryvna. The fare is usually payed to the driver, who is most often quite adept at dishing out change while driving, although some marshrutki will include a second person whose job is to manage the fare. The marshrutki that run late at night will often have a security guard on board. Many people will pay the fare not immediately on entrance, but once they take their seat. They will then pass their fare on to the person in front of them, and it will be passed on in this manner until it reaches the driver, who will in turn dish out the change in the reverse order. Most people seem pretty honest about this process. I've never seen anyone try to skimp on the fare or keep someone else's change, although I wouldn't be surprised if it does happen.

As mentioned before, all of the space inside of a marshrutka is often not enough. When all of the seats are filled, passengers will still board at stops, and will stand in the aisle while holding onto the hand-bar up above. Sometimes it can get crowded enough to where people are packed in like sardines. The aisle, of course, is not very wide, and someone having to go from the back of the marshrutka to the front will have to push and squeeze their way through. Although some marshrutki do have doors in the back, most do not. Standing in the aisle, squeezed up between an old crabby babushka and a drunk gopnik while holding onto anything solid for dear life as the driver recklessly weaves through rush hour traffic is not a pleasant experience, but fortunately, this doesn't describe the majority of my times on a marshrutka.

I've come to generally enjoy my time on a marshrutka, as the frequent stops that it makes along its route, along with the inevitable logjam of marshrutki trying to jockey for position at the stops, usually means that I'm going to be on it for a while, regardless of how far I'm going. It's usually a good time to catch the sights of passing beautiful women while relaxing. Of course, how much relaxing I'm able to do when a bus with 15 seats is holding more than 30 people won't be that much, but still, it can be a fun experience.

So...here's to the glorious marshrutka, one of the many things that makes my time in Ukraine an interesting experience.