Marshrutka

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Marshrutka (Bulgarian, Russian: маршру́тка, IPA: [mɘr'ʂrutkɘ]), from marshrutnoye taxi (Mаршрутное такси)) is a share taxi in CIS and Bulgaria . Marshrutnoye taxi literally means routed taxicab. The role of the modern Marshrutka is basically similar to the minibus in other countries except some implementations of Marshrutka do allow standing capacity.

[edit] Etymology

The Russian word "маршрутка" is the colloquial form for "маршрутное такси", which literally means "routed taxi(cab)" ("маршрут" referring to a planned route that something follows, and "такси" meaning "taxi(cab)"). The word "маршрут" is from the French word "marcheroute", which is composed of the word "marche" (a walk) and "route" (route).

[edit] History

[edit] Early days (pre-1992)

"Route taxicabs" existed at the time of the USSR, although they were not very common and drove highly irregular schedules. These were planned for smaller or seasonal bus routes (i.e., to help transportation in night hours), but the response was varied. The routes were operated at municipal level, thus the quality and concept varied greatly between regions. At that time, most commonly used vehicles were the RAF minibus and PAZ bus.

[edit] Marshrutka boom (1992–2000)

The introduction of market economies greatly changed the transportation demands of the urban population in the CIS. The demand for faster and more versatile public transit rose dramatically, while the underfunded municipal transportation system made people willing to pay premium for better service. Although existing buses (like Ikarus, LAZ, PAZ, RAF, and KAvZ, as well as irregular imported used minibuses), obtained on a secondary market, had been used by entrepreneurs as a back-up on the busiest routes since the early 1990s, it wasn't until the auto manufacturer GAZ rolled out the first mass produced Russian minibus, GAZelle, that the modern system took shape.

GAZelle was an instant hit. The cheap, easy-to-repair, and lease-friendly passenger minibus with a capacity of fifteen was exactly what entrepreneurs needed. An initial investment of around US$8,000 could be paid off in less than a year given some luck, so a lot of individual entrepreneurs entered the market, as well as some larger companies. At this point in time, licensing for public transportation in particular was not required. The vehicle only had to pass annual safety check-ups, which were relatively easy, since local authorities trusted GAZ cars.

During this period, most marshrutkas followed already well-established public transit routes.

[edit] Modern days (2000–present)

Witnessing the success of privately owned public transportation led to some reaction from the society. Local authorities responded by toughening safety and licensing requirements—like mandatory free transportation of a certain number of disabled passengers upon request and "package deals" in route licensing—tying the privilege to drive on a lucrative route to the chore of driving several not-so-profitable ones. The market became dominated either by large companies or by unions of owner-operators of individual minibuses. Some of municipal public transportation companies entered the business. The prices went down.

Another consequence was a massive response from car and bus manufacturers. Old manufacturers introduced smaller, more maneuverable models (like PAZ or KAZ) and started licensed assembly of minibuses (KrAZ started assembling Iveco minibuses). Also new businesses were created—Bogdan, and Etalon, usually based upon existing plants. The capacity also grew from fifteen sitting passengers to jam-packed small buses of fifty, and the busiest routes in major cities now use full-size privately owned buses operating at the same price with municipal companies.

[edit] Russia and Ukraine

In Russia in Moscow and St. Petersburg, GAZelle and Ford Transit vans are usually used as route taxis. Route taxis congregate at train stations, metro stations, and transfer points at the end of tram and trolly bus routes. In St. Petersburg the route is identified as "Kxxx" with "xxx" being the number of the bus, tram and trolley bus routes being followed and "K" standing for the Russian word for "commercial" (коммерческий, kommercheskii). There are routes travelled solely by route taxis - cross-city routes connecting termini of the metro. Usually, the route taxi will not depart of the end point of a route until all seats are occupied. The taxi will skip stops if they are not requested and by-pass hailing riders until it has empty seats. The fare is commonly one and a half or twice the fare of a regular bus. The appeal for the route taxi passenger is a fast ride in less crowded conditions than regular transport. The taxi routes that follow cross-city routes are most often the fastest way to travel across the city.

In Kiev, Ukraine, the Bogdan van is the most common route taxi which can be found running around the city, while the Etalon van serves on the lower ridership route. In Kiev, the marshrutka is more popular and the fare is a bit more expensive than the regular public bus. Passengers can ask for alighting from the vehicle even not at the set-stop, but generally this is up to driver's final decision. As of now, marshrutkas in Kiev do not require ticket-perforating, although a passenger can ask for a ticket when paying the fare, but there is no staff working to randomly check the tickets as on a regular bus. (Although the traditional hole punch still remains on existing vehicles.)

[edit] Eastern Europe

In Yerevan, Armenia, marshrutkas cost the same as larger buses (100 AMD in mid-2007), with the fare being paid when the rider exits. There are no tickets issued. Marshrutkas can be hailed anywhere along their route, though they do have specific stops, and riders can exit at any point if the driver is willing to pull over. While the law requires that marshrutkas stop only at designated stops while on major streets, compliance with this law depends on the individual driver and the degree of police enforcement of this law at any given time.

In Romania, where they are called "maxi-taxi" or "caşcarabeta", marshrutkas supplied the need of affordable public transportation at a time when some local administrations dismantled the community-owned systems of buses and or trolley cars. In Bucharest, a few lines went inside the main city in the last years of communism and in the 1990's. The boom came in 2003 when the city-owned RATB lost the right to maintain suburban commuter buses which linked main city with the villages around it, and the marshrutkas replaced the buses. In Galaţi, even since the 1990's, most of the local public transportations is offered by privately-owned marshrutka companies, which may be stopped by passengers or pedestrians anywhere on the route where the driver deems safe. On the Black Sea shore, it very common to travel from Constanţa or Mangalia to the resorts on a marshrutka, especially in those resorts where the competing train service is far from the beach and / or lodging facilities.

[edit] Central Asia

In Central Asia (at least Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan), standing room is allowed on marshrutkas. Indeed, drivers will often encourage passengers to board the marshrutka and cram together until there is physically not enough space for another passenger to board; in such a case, once a passenger exits the marshrutka, the driver will stop for others and allow them on until it is full again. Marshrutkas may be boarded at bus stops, but will usually stop other places if hailed, and often won't stop at bus stops unless a passenger requests an exit or a prospective passenger hails the marshrutka. Passengers may request to exit at any point, but may have to wait until the driver deems that it is convenient to stop.

The typical Central Asian marshrutka is usually a white minibus branded "Mersedes", though may come in any number of colours, sometimes used to distinguish a specific route. The models most commonly used have a vent in the roof that may be opened by passengers if the atmosphere inside the marshrutka becomes too stuffy. Though not the norm, other vehicles are used as well; for example, all 149 marshrutkas in Bishkek are Shaolin Citybuses. In Osh, an older, shorter model of vehicle which doesn't lend itself well to standing room is also used for some routes.

The normal price per fare in Bishkek is 5 som, and there are no transfers. Some routes may charge as much as 15 som per fare, such as marshrutkas heading to Dordoy Bazaar, which is on the outskirts of the city.

[edit] See also

• Share taxi
• Pesero
• Dollar van

nl:Marsjroetka ru:Маршрутное такси