The public transport in Bucharest

The means of public transportation in Bucharest can be a bit tricky compared to other countries, so it's best to know what to expect when arriving.

METRO

Opened in 1979, Bucharest's metro should be better than it is. With four lines and 45 stations, the system is certainly clean, reliable, safe and cheap, but much is wrong. It is not user friendly, and can be confusing for the novice. The city centre is poorly served and the stations are poorly marked at platform level. Announcements are inaudible and it's best to count the stations to make sure that you alight at the correct place. The only maps that can be understood in any way are at station entrances at street level. The most frequently used line is the north-south M2 line (going from Pipera to IMGB, taking in Piata Victoriei, Piata Romana, Universitatii and Unirii on the way). Services on line M3, which serves Gara de Nord and many residential areas, can be infrequent, as can line M1, which runs on a similar route. Line M4 is brand new, looks good enough, but only currently has four stations serving residential districts in the northwest of the city. Trains trundle up and down between 05:30 - 23:15 and are supposed to run with a frequency of between 3-12 minutes on weekdays (a little less at weekends), but sometimes the length of waits can be almost unbearable. There is one toilet on the entire system - at the McDonald's at Unirii station. Pickpockets love the metro, but there is rarely any violent crime.

TRAMS & BUSES

Even though the public transport network is cheap, extensive and reliable, taking a bus, trolleybus or tram can be a headache due to the amount of people that cram on to the blasted things. A total lack of air conditioning makes the use of public transport highly undesirable at any time of year. Anyway, tickets valid for one journey cost 8,000 lei and must be purchased before climbing aboard, then punched in one of the strange looking devices located all over the vehicle (watch how others do it first). Ticket inspectors ( controlor ) are ubiquitous, and if you are caught without a ticket you'll pay a fine. Pickpocketing is as rife as can be: the 783 (airport express), 331, 335 and 300 bus routes, as well as all the trolleybus routes that pass Piata Universitatii and tram 21 and 32 are notoriously bad. Buses are also badly lit at night, and generally empty. Travel on expres buses (slow, noisy Parisian hand-me-downs) requires buying a special magnetic ticket, available from the RATB kiosks at Piata Romana. The RATB head office is at (H-5), Calea Serban Voda 164-168, tel. 336 56 50, www.ratb.ro