Buses in St. Petersburg

Using the Buses

Bus stops in St. Petersburg are marked with the letter "A" meaning avtobus, on a yellow sign. The network of buses can be very confusing for foreigners due to the variety of bus types availabled.

Regular buses have a conductor on board who should be paid in cash for a ticket or by showing your monthly pass.

T-buses (Taxi-buses) charge a little more than regular buses and a ticket can be purchased using cash, but do not accept passes. For this reason they rarely become crowded.

E-buses (Express-buses) are usually coaches and accept only cash for a ticket. They skip stops if nobody want to board or leave the bus, making them generally faster than the regular buses. For this reason, ensure that you inform the driver you wish to leave at the next stop. They are also more expensive than the metro.

"Marshrutriye taksi" or "marshrutki" are minibuses, and are very popular in the city's newer districts. As you board the minibus you pay the driver a fixed fee as posted in the windows and just tell the driver when you want him to stop and drop you off. This form of transport is spreading as the city attempts to make public transport more cost-effective.

History of the Bus

In 1907, a local entrepreneur opened the first two bus routes connecting two of St. Petersburg's major rail stations with the centre. During the Revolution the bus service was suspended and resumed only on the 24th December 1926.

During the 1980's the bus transportation system peaked with 3,200 buses serving 200 routes. The city buses carry 1,200 million passengers every year.