When you go traveling to a certain country, it is very fun to try its public transportation. In a developed country widely known for its punctuation and disciplinary like Singapore, for example, it is very easy for you to go around using the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit). There are many city maps provided in the station so you can check which bus you must take to get there.

Even if you do not have the maps, you can always ask the MRT officials. They will be glad to help you to explain the best route you can take and how to buy the tickets. It is also very easy to buy tickets. You can buy it through the ticket machines which are very easy to use.

Just like in Singapore, you can try various favorite public transportation in Russia. You can just choose which one you want to take to get you to go all around the city.

Favorite Public Transportation in Russia

1. Metro

If you go to the big cities, like Moscow and St. Petersburg, you will find an excellent metro system. Metro can take you all over the town with a very cheap price. For example, when you are in Moscow and want to ride the metro, you can buy a single journey ticket with only 30 Rubles ($ 0,47). You can purchase the ticket at the ticket booth. If you cannot speak in Russian, worry not! You can just show how many tickets you want to purchase by holding up your fingers. It will cost you a little bit more when you are in St. Petersburg. In this city, metro ticket purchasing uses tokens or zheton.

For a single ticket journey, it will cost you 1 token (around 54 Rubles or $ 0,85). To buy the ticket, you can use the machines in the station or go to the ticket windows. If you do not have small change when you are about to buy the tickets through the machine, don’t worry! The machine will automatically give your change.

As one of the favorite public transportation in Russia, you can also find the metro in smaller cities which will cost you a cheaper price. In Yekaterinburg, the ticket fare is 32 Rubles ($ 0,51), while in Kazan it costs only 21 Rubles ($ 0,33). Similar ticket fare can also be found in Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, and Samara.

2. Bus

The bus system in Russia is held by both and public company which makes it difficult to find its timetable online. But, there is a solution to this matter. You can always find the information about the bus’ departure and arrival times at the bus stop. Just find the “A” sign by the roadside, there you will find the bus stop.

There are some options you can choose to buy a bus ticket. The first option is to buy it when you are on the bus.  You can just hand the driver your money. Since it is very rare for the driver to provide change, make sure to have some small change in your pocket. The second option is to buy a book of tickets. It will be cheaper especially if you are going to stay for a while. The ticket book can be bought in a kiosk that has a proezdnyue bilety sign. This kiosk is usually located inside or outside the metro station.

The third option is to buy a travel card. One travel card can be used for metro, bubs, and trolley cars. You can use this in St. Petersburg and Moscow where it is called Podorozhnik card in St. Petersburg and Troika card in Moscow. The convenient of using the travel card is definitely one of the reasons why the bus is one of the favorite public transportations in Russia. In Russia, you will also find local transportation similar to a bus, called marshrutka. This is a minibus that can take you to many routes (more than bus routes) with less time and price. You can ride marshrutka by waiting at the bus stop. You do not need to buy a ticket first before riding on the marshrutka. You just need to pay the fare to the driver. What makes this unique bus favorite public transportation in Russia is that you do need to make a stop at a bus stop. When you need to make a stop, you just need to tell the driver.

If you want to go to another city conveniently, you can take the intercity bus, called avtovokzal. The information about the ticket fare and the timetable can be easily found at the station. When you get your ticket, you can see your assigned seat on it. There is no problem if you have luggage with you. All your belongings can be stored in the baggage compartment. You only need to pay the extra fare as much as 10% of the ticket fare. You also need to spare some money because there are some stations that will charge you with security fee.

3. Taxi

If you want to get a taxi, there are several options you can choose. The first option, you can order it by all the popular phone applications, such as Uber, Gett, and Yandex Taxi. Another option, you can order by phone. Many taxis have phone number written on the car. When you are wandering around the cities, just look out for the number and make a note. But of course, you can also find the information online or just ask the locals.

You can also hail a taxi. On the road, you can find official taxis or random drivers who want to earn extra cash. Before hailing a taxi, the most important thing to do is to as the locals the average taxi fare. Another important thing is to practice saying your destination and the fare you are willing to pay in the Russian language. It is widely known that you will get a cheaper price if you can talk in Russian. But, just to be safe, you can also ask a friend who is fluent in the Russian language to negotiate for you. It may cost you more than riding on a bus or train, but the taxi is still one of the favorite public transportations in Russia. You do not need to wait or stand in queue and you can have a convenient ride to your destination.