Tashkent Getting Around

Getting Around

The city has a good public transport system system which is cheap. The metro/underground system is typical of the old Soviet style with large and impressive stations and is actually quite modern. There are also trams and modern busses. Tickets (which on the metro are small blue coin size tokens) cost 160 SUM for any single journey. It is not permitted to take photographs in the metro stations. Police will usually be present on all platforms. Taxis can be cheap after some negotiation, however some of the vehicles are very old. While there are official, authorized taxis (with the appropriate sign on the roof of the car), in reality almost any driver in Tashkent can double as a taxi driver. The local custom is to simply stand by the side of the road with your arm extended downward and slightly away from the body. A driver will pull over and you then state your destination and negotiate the fare in advance. At least some Russian or Uzbek language skill is needed to accomplish this without difficulty. It is usually safe to use this procedure, although virtually every foreign embassy recommends against it. Directions are rarely given here using an address. Most often, a landmark is used, "near the hotel Russia," for instance. Moreover, many streets and hotels have been renamed in the past few years but often drivers will not recognize the current name of the street or hotel, still knowing them by their old names. Asking to be taken to the Grand Mir hotel, for instance, will often result in a blank look. Tell the driver you want to go to the Gastinitsa Rossiya (Hotel Russia), however, and they will know exactly where you want to go. For non-Russian-Uzbek speakers, it is helpful to have someone draw a rudimentary map or write out directions in Russian. Few drivers will know English. Do not expect western-style taxi services. Traffic in Tashkent is crazed and unpredictable. Taxi drivers will often smoke while you are in the car and asking them not to will most often result in nothing more than a look of disapproval. You may be paying, but you are in their car. None of the major international car hire companies operate in Tashkent. Where car hire is available, it will include a driver.