Public Transportation

As I had mentioned before, this summer I am working a lot with the new EE volunteers. The new volunteers are being trained in the same places we were trained last year: in villages outside Chișinău. So this summer, I have been traveling a lot back and forth between Criuleni and Chișinău. Therefore, I have to use the public transportation much more. So let me explain about the public transportation here.

Public transportation is a much-needed service in Moldova. Most Moldovan don’t own a car, even in the very rural places. So for many, this is the only way to get around.

The main type of vehicle used for public transportation is called a rutiera. A rutiera is about the size of a 15-person van, but the seat arrangement is much different. There are usually four-five rows with two seats on the right and one seat on the left and a full row at the back that seats five people.

In addition to the rutieras, some villages and towns have autobuses. I am lucky enough to have both autobuses and rutieras that travel between Criuleni and Chișinău. Every 45 minutes, an autobus leaves from Criuleni or Chișinău for the other, and a rutiera leaves 20 minutes after the bus. It’s nice to have such frequent rides; it makes traveling to and from Chișinău very easy. However, many volunteers live in place that only have one bus or rutiera leaving per day. And other volunteers live in such rural villages that there are no rutiera leaving from there, so they have to hitchhike to the nearest village with public transportation that will take them to Chișinău.

Riding the public transportation is no picnic. Rutieras are often very crowded. The seats are very close to each other, leaving little space for your legs. And the width is small as well, making the allowed space very tight. Additionally, once all the seats are filled, the rutiera continues to pick up passengers, who then have to stand. It can get very crowded very quickly. It is not unusual for the rutieras to be so crowded that when you stand, you do not need to hold a handle to keep you from falling. This is not pleasant in the hot and humid summers. Autobuses are a bit more spacious, but they can still be crowded depending on the hour to the day.

Neither the rutieras nor busses have AC. And many Moldovans believe that the current (the wind created when opening the window of a moving car) is unhealthy, therefore most rides are done with closed windows. So in the hot and humid summers, riding in an overcrowded rutieras or buses with all closed-windows is quite unpleasant. I am very careful about which side of the bus to sit on so that the sun isn’t hitting me most of the time of the trip.

The quality of the driving is quite scary. The drivers take curves very quickly, especially considering most of their passengers are standing. And the stops are often quick and jerky.  Riding them in the winter is even worse because the driving doesn’t change much even though there may be snow and ice on the ground.

And respect of one’s personal space isn’t taken into account on the rides. You cannot have a personal bubble on a rutiera or bus in Moldova. And if you do, you will be crying the whole trip due to others violating it. Here are some things that have happened to me on my rides. A boy was consistently sticking his butt in my face while he was leaning over to kiss his girlfriend. The passenger sitting behind me laying his hands on my headrest in a way that caused me lean forward the whole trip so as not to get slapped in the head with his hands. A passenger putting a half empty bottle of beer on the shelf above me without putting the cap on it, resulting in the beer spilling all over me. And these are just a few incidents.

So traveling via public transportation is no cup of tea, but it is all we have. And luckily, it is relatively inexpensive. I suppose things could be worse.