Ground transportation

1. A share (route) taxi	- маршрутка
2. turnover	- пассажирооборот
3. a bus terminal	- автовокзал
4. vehicle	- транспортное средство

There is an extensive network of street public transport in Moscow: buses, trolleybuses, trams, taxis, share taxis (marshrutka) which carry about 12 million passengers every day. Some routes operate around the clock.

At the beginning of 2016 the total length of the route network was 9020 km, and in the structure Mosgortrans there were 17 bus parks 7 trolley parks, Filevsky and Novokosinsky bus and trolleybus depots, 5 tram depots.

Marshrutkas are minibuses that follow fixed routes. The role of the modern marshrutka is theoretically similar to the share taxi, that use minibuses in other countries.

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)").

You can get on and off anywhere along the route. To get off just let the driver know. Marshrutkas tend to go a little faster than buses, though this may be due to more reckless driving!

―Route taxicabs‖ were introduced in Moscow for the first time in the USSR in 1938, operated by ZiS-101 limousines. It was the only chance for ordinary people to ride luxurious ZiS cars, reserved otherwise for higher officials. At first they were meant mainly for tourists and joined mainly stations and airports. Unlike ordinary taxicab using the taximeter, routed taxicab rides were paid per zones, like trams, buses and trolley buses; the fare was less than in ordinary taxis, but higher than in large- scale public transports.

During the WWII (Great Patriotic War), as cars were requisitioned by the Army, routed taxi services were ceased. They returned to Moscow in 1945. It was only by the 1950s that these were reintroduced in most cities where they were used before the war.

Bus and trolleybus

As Metro stations outside the city center are far apart in comparison to other cities, up to 4 kilometres (2.5 mile), a bus network radiates from each station to the surrounding residential zones. Moscow has a bus terminal for long-range and intercity passenger buses (Central Bus Terminal) with daily turnover of about 25 thousand passengers serving about 40% of long-range bus routes in Moscow.

Every major street in the city is served by at least one bus route. Many of these routes are doubled by a trolleybus route and have trolley wires over them.

Every large street will have at least one bus or trolleybus route running along it with stop approximately every 150 m.

Outside the city center, extensive bus networks radiate from the stations to the surrounding residential zones. Moscow's heavy traffic reduces the buses and trolleybuses' fixed schedules to vague impressions of actual timings, but apart from towards the end of the day services are frequent.

Services on some routes can be considerably reduced after 9PM. Timetables for almost all buses, trolleybuses and trams are posted online (in Russian). All three kinds of tickets (―TAT‖ s, ―E‖ dinye's and ―90 minutes‖ since 2013) are valid for paying in buses, trolleybuses and trams.

Tram

Moscow has an extensive tram system, which was first opened in 1899. The newest line was built in 1984. Its daily usage by Muscovites is low, making up for approximately 5% of trips, because many vital connections in the network have been withdrawn. Trams still remain important in some districts as feeders to Metro stations. From their inauguration in 1899 to their heyday in the 1930s, trams were a  useful way of getting around. However, the opening of the metro and the introduction of trolleybuses both in the mid-1930s marked the end of the trams' usefulness. The

network has been radically reduced with much being given over to trolleybuses.

Taxi

Taxi service market in Moscow has changed dramatically over the years 2014– 2015. New technology and service platforms displaced many private drivers and small service providers. By the beginning of 2015 newcomers were servicing more than 50% of all taxi orders in Moscow and are still rapidly growing. A taxi can be called using a smartphone, tablet or PC in 5–15 minutes. Commercial taxi services are available. In addition, route taxis are in widespread use.

Questions

1. What public transport is used in Moscow?

2. What is the total length of the route network in Moscow?

3. How many bus parks, trolley parks and tram depots are there in Moscow?

4. What is the daily turnover of passengers of intercity passenger buses?

5. What is the tram system like in Moscow?

6. How popular is the taxi service in Moscow? Who usually use it – Moscow residents or city visitors?

7. What is a share (route) taxi?

1. В Москве действует разветвлѐнная сеть уличного общественного транспорта: маршрутов автобусов, троллейбусов, трамваев, маршрутных такси, которые перевозят около 12 миллионов пассажиров ежедневно.

2. В Москве широко распространены маршрутки (Маршрутное такси) — автобусы, осуществляющие перевозку пассажиров и багажа по установленным маршрутам. Крупнейшим оператором в настоящее время является Автолайн.

Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro is a rapid transit system serving Moscow and the neighbouring Moscow oblast cities Krasnogorks, Reutov and Kotelniki. Opened in 1935 with one 11-kilometre (6.8 mi) line and 13 stations, it was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union. As of 2019, the Moscow Metro excluding the Moscow Central Circle and Moscow Monorail has 232 stations (263 with Moscow Central Circle) and its route length is 397.3 km (246.9 mi), making it the fifth longest in the world. The system is mostly underground, with the deepest section 84 metres (276 ft) underground at the Park Pobedy station, one of the world's deepest. It is the busiest metro system in Europe, and a tourist attraction in itself.

Central Moscow is best to be explored on foot, but distances can be huge so the famous Metro system is a great help. It is comprehensive, boasts some great architecture, and is cheap. You can easily find any station you need on the map.

―United‖  (―Edinye‖,  labeled  with  letter  E)  or  ―90  minutes‖  tickets  and  their equivalents (banking cards, if you have any, of tickets, valid for a time period) can be used to pay for the underground trips. More information on new payment system on transport, introduced in Moscow in 2013 is in a separate article. Information on fares is available on the official website.

Some parts of the metro are very deep, and some transfers between lines are very long. In the city centre it can save time to go directly to the above-ground entrance of the line you want to take, rather than to enter at a connecting station and transfer underground. The metro webpage estimates travel times between any pair of stations. From the deep lines, the escalator ride can be several minutes. On the escalators, stand on the right.

The most interesting stations in terms of decor are Komsomolskaya, Novoslobodskaya and Kievskaya on the ring line, Kropotkinskaya on the red line, Kievskaya, Arbatskaya and Ploshchad Revolyutsii (there are lot of sculptures on sides of this station) on dark blue line, Mayakovskaya and Novokuznetskaya on the green line (watch out for the mosaics on the ceiling). The Mayakovskaya one is also one of the deepest, which allowed it to be used as a makeshift assembly hall for a Party meeting marking the anniversary of the Revolution during the German bombardments in the winter of 1941. Officially, the Metro is open from 5:30AM - 1AM Station entrances close at 1AM, and this when last trains start from all of the termini stations.

Monorail

The Moscow Metro company operates a short monorail line. The line connects Timiryazevskaya metro station and Sergey Eisenstein Street, passing close to VVTs. The line was opened in 2004. No additional fare is needed (first metro-monorail transfer in 90 minutes does not charge).