Travel Moscow cabs?

Sure. Every car might be a cab!

In Moscow you can use any car as a taxicab

Here’s the story. For four days, I’ve never took a taxicab in Moscow. For four days my guides used the following routine instead: raised a hand towards the cars riding on the first lane of the highway/boulevard/street and a car (often two or even three) stopped. After a very short negotiation we jumped in and we’re gone. Money changed hands, relaxed chatter happened between the fronts sits (in Russian) and eventually we were delivered at the destination.

They were not cabs. They were not previously hired rides. It was all kind of paid hitch-hiking!

You can use any car as a taxi

—It would take 30, maybe 45 minutes for a cab to show up with these traffic jams, they said. And who cares about taxicabs, anyway? We have our own scheme. You can use any car as a taxi. 100% efficient: no phone calls on hold, no waiting. Arm raised, cars stop. Better.

—Well, I replied, every capital has taxis and I never — not ever — seen something like this.

—Yes, but this is Moscow, they replied. This is our way.

Comments

Reply no.: 1

2 Apr 2007, 7:50 AM

radu ionescu:

I saw this on lonely planet a couple of years ago, but now is more vivid coming from you.

Quite an interesting capital - I would sure like to visit it someday for all it’s got.

Reply no.: 2

2 Apr 2007, 9:41 AM

Kit:

It definitely is an interesting place to visit, Radu. There are so many things we have in common, and then again, so many things that set us apart.

Speaking of differences — people (especially young people) asked tons of questions at lectures and workshops, for hours! Does this happen in Romania? Not really, not to such extent. Asking questions (especially in public) in our own culture is still largely seen as totally undignifying, an exposure of weakness. The point here: my impression was that in certain areas they are recovering better from their communist past traumas than we do.

Reply no.: 3

3 Apr 2007, 12:04 PM