Marshrutka
Marschrutka ( Russian Маршрутка , fem. , Plural Marschrutki , eingedeutscht also Marschrutkas'; short form такси of Маршрутное to German: route taxi ) is the Russian name for minibus taxis , which in many former Soviet Union operate, for example, in Russia , in the Ukraine , in Latvia , in Lithuania , in the Republic of Moldova , in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan . The official name is Marschrutnoje taksi , literally "Line taxi." The short form, which is also officially used today, developed from this long form. In states such as Georgia, which are increasingly emancipating themselves from Russian as the former official language, the term minibus is also used .
The term Marschrutka comes from the German word "Marschroute". This compound comes from the French, both march and route are loan words in German .
concept
Marshrutki are mostly privately operated shared taxis in regular service , which have their own route numbers and supplement local public transport . They are faster than traditional municipal means of transport, especially over longer distances - but because of this advantage and their smaller design, they are often full shortly after departure. You then only stop where passengers want to get off and thus seats become free. The passenger has to inform the driver where he wants to get off by shouting. Standing room is often, but not always, offered.
The shared taxis , known as Dolmuş , operate according to a similar concept in Turkey.
Advantages and disadvantages
The greatest advantage of the marshrutki is - at least in those places where this is not regulated - that they can be stopped from anywhere on the roadside without the passengers having to go to a stop beforehand, and that they also serve the most remote places and tourist attractions . In return, they are considered to be at risk of accidents because marshrutki do not use bus lanes or bus stops everywhere. Instead, they stop at the side of the road at the wave of a potential passenger - unexpectedly for subsequent individual traffic participants. In addition, the drivers often stand out due to their driving style, which is very risky for Western European conditions and is inconsiderate towards pedestrians and private cars.
With the frequent overcrowding, journeys are extremely uncomfortable for standing passengers, especially those who are over 1.70 m tall. In addition, there is often clearly noticeable body odor from passengers due to the narrow space.
Tariff
The transport fee - usually a little higher than in a bus, trolleybus or tram - is paid immediately within the city, but only when you get off on cross-country trips. There is no general rule at the time of payment. The fare has to be displayed in Russia, in other CIS countries you can sometimes find it on a slip of paper on one of the windows, in some cases you have to ask the driver about the fare. It is customary to have the fare in full marshrutki, unsolicited and appropriately counted, forwarded by other passengers to the driver who is already leaving. Elsewhere, for example in the Georgian capital Tbilisi , where all vehicles are operated by a state-licensed company, it is common to pay the standard fare when disembarking. Tickets are not always issued.
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union , the licenses have been granted to private entrepreneurs. The license granted to each bus promotes competition for passengers and thus income between the various drivers on a line.
vehicles
The Daimler AG subsidiary EvoBus Russia started production of “Mercedes-Marschrutki” in January 2005 in Kolomna, Russia . 200 to 240 vehicles were planned for 2005, and an increase to up to 500 per year was planned for the following years. Imported vehicles of this class cost around 55,000 euros, the “Mercedes-Marschrutka” assembled in Russia 45,000 euros.
For the equivalent of 15,000 euros, marshrutki licensees buy the GAZel minibus (GAZ-32213 and related) with a two-liter gasoline engine for the Volga car and up to 15 seats, which was first produced in Nizhny Novgorod . That is why this type is a common marshrutka in many cities in Russia, as is used minibus imports from Germany and the European Union. In the Georgian inland, used Ford Transits predominate , which are also used on unpaved roads and the mountains. Newer Ford Transits of the 5th and 6th generation have been driving in Tbilisi since 2011.
The concessions are also awarded for larger buses, such as Higer Bus , Isuzu-Bogdan, Hyundai County and PAZ buses are not infrequently used vehicles in many cities in Russia. These have 20 to 30 seats. Often new Ford Transit Eurolines are used as marshrutka, which can accommodate up to 17 passengers. In Russian spelling, GAZel corresponds to the word for gazelle. Because of its widespread use in some places, this term is now used for all types of marshrutki. In the Asian part of Russia, Korean (more rarely Japanese) minibuses, such as those from Ssangyong, are also popular . There are some converted vehicles from Deutsche Post in the Ukraine .
In some cases, passengers in Moscow are delighted with flat screens with the “Marschrutka TV” advertising channel.
literature
- Joseph Sparsbrod: Passenger behavior in the Marshrutki in Tbilisi, in: Georgica , Vol. 36 (2013), pp. 121-35