Every country has its own rules and customs to follow when it comes to public transportation, and Belarus is no exception. Get prepared for the Belarusian public transportation. It's quite an adventure and definitely a top priority to get to know the country better. To a foreigner many things may come as a surprise; things like the little red token that you buy for a single metro ride in Minsk. This token actually makes a great souvenir from Belarus: it is unique, it screams history with its worn out look and you can probably use it as play money (or as replacement of the coin for the shopping trolley). Also the Cyrillic alphabet used on transport can be quite a struggle for most foreigners. And not to forget the big crowd during rush hours that can make you feel very small and make you wonder which technique to use to get in/out: push, scream, cry or simply ask?
To help you get started, here are 6 guidelines to follow when traveling for the first time by public transportation in Belarus:
1. Find local help
Having a Belarusian friend or colleague to show you around is a life saver! Be kind to him or her, as he/she will be your guide in the Cyrillic labyrinth.
2. First let out, then get on
When the transport has just arrived, you have to patiently wait for everybody to get out first, and only then get inside. Minsker courtesy!
3. Get tough
If someone ‘gently’ pushes you out of the way on the metro without saying “excuse me” – do not be offended, they are just trying to be polite and not bother you with words. Think fast during rush hour, or you might simply get carried out of the wagon. Being anonymously squeezed farther into the wagon to create more space for the people trying to get in is also normal, just go with the flow. "There's no more space for me to go!" is not a valid excuse.
The transport face:
A lot of foreigners seem to notice, how mean everyone looks when riding the metro. That is the Belarusian transport face, it is actually relaxed and indifferent, not mean. It is designed to create a feeling of more personal space due to the lack thereof during rush hours. The face should read "I might be squeezed in here tightly, but there's actually a whole kingdom around me and I am the king!" Practice at home with a mirror.
4. Terminal stations
Watch out for the crowd getting on a bus at the terminal stations or first stop of the route. If this route is particularly long and popular, people are going to be scrambling to get on and grab a seat, sometimes even forgetting to let people out. After securing a seat with their behinds, the same person who just stampeded you on the way in might ask you to validate his pass, since he is already sitting, and you conveniently happen to be standing by the validator.
5. Give up you seat!
Offer your seat to the elderly, pregnant women, and people with small children (that is, by the way, one of the things that frequent announcement is saying). If you don’t - the entire bus or metro will look at you as if you are a criminal. Even young women are offered seats on public transportation, but that’s optional, more of a chivalric gesture. Getting up and offering a seat to an elderly person, on the other hand, is a must. In many Western countries this politeness is slowly disappearing, because on one hand the youth is becoming more asocial and on the other hand because the elderly people are often offended by this polite gesture, probably they feel younger than they appear.
6. Surf!
When riding the metro for the first time make sure you take a seat or have a railing to hold on to, otherwise you will fall down. With time, you will learn to keep your balance and “surf” like Minskers do.
The metro in particular is a highlight in itself. It is super fast, clean and impressive. Some historical facts: During the Soviet period there was an unwritten law that only a city with over 1 million residents could start building a metro. The city of Minsk did its best to attract people from villages and created favourable conditions for their resettlement. And finally in 1972 the millionth Minsker was born. The first eight metro stations were finished in 1984.
The different styles of the metro stations cannot go unnoticed. Every station is designed and decorated according to a specific theme: Lenin, Proletarian revolution, Sports, etc. Other more modern stations are a treat to experience (when putting a bit of your imagination to work): Piatrouschyna metro station gives you a feeling of standing under a sky full of stars on a summer night, while Mikhalova station resembles a sunset in the winter, and Hrushauka may remind you of a sunny August morning.
A warning: do not venture when you have a wheelchair or buggy into the metro. Even if you can get on the metro in for example Uruchie metro station, it will be a very short ride as you won't be able to get out in any other stations as they don’t have lifts or ramps.
Have you had a strange/interesting/cool Belarusian public transport experience? Please share it with us!
Read more about Belarus on our newest platform HiFive Belarus!
To help you get started, here are 6 guidelines to follow when traveling for the first time by public transportation in Belarus:
1. Find local help
Having a Belarusian friend or colleague to show you around is a life saver! Be kind to him or her, as he/she will be your guide in the Cyrillic labyrinth.
2. First let out, then get on
When the transport has just arrived, you have to patiently wait for everybody to get out first, and only then get inside. Minsker courtesy!
3. Get tough
If someone ‘gently’ pushes you out of the way on the metro without saying “excuse me” – do not be offended, they are just trying to be polite and not bother you with words. Think fast during rush hour, or you might simply get carried out of the wagon. Being anonymously squeezed farther into the wagon to create more space for the people trying to get in is also normal, just go with the flow. "There's no more space for me to go!" is not a valid excuse.
The transport face:
A lot of foreigners seem to notice, how mean everyone looks when riding the metro. That is the Belarusian transport face, it is actually relaxed and indifferent, not mean. It is designed to create a feeling of more personal space due to the lack thereof during rush hours. The face should read "I might be squeezed in here tightly, but there's actually a whole kingdom around me and I am the king!" Practice at home with a mirror.
4. Terminal stations
Watch out for the crowd getting on a bus at the terminal stations or first stop of the route. If this route is particularly long and popular, people are going to be scrambling to get on and grab a seat, sometimes even forgetting to let people out. After securing a seat with their behinds, the same person who just stampeded you on the way in might ask you to validate his pass, since he is already sitting, and you conveniently happen to be standing by the validator.
5. Give up you seat!
Offer your seat to the elderly, pregnant women, and people with small children (that is, by the way, one of the things that frequent announcement is saying). If you don’t - the entire bus or metro will look at you as if you are a criminal. Even young women are offered seats on public transportation, but that’s optional, more of a chivalric gesture. Getting up and offering a seat to an elderly person, on the other hand, is a must. In many Western countries this politeness is slowly disappearing, because on one hand the youth is becoming more asocial and on the other hand because the elderly people are often offended by this polite gesture, probably they feel younger than they appear.
6. Surf!
When riding the metro for the first time make sure you take a seat or have a railing to hold on to, otherwise you will fall down. With time, you will learn to keep your balance and “surf” like Minskers do.
The metro in particular is a highlight in itself. It is super fast, clean and impressive. Some historical facts: During the Soviet period there was an unwritten law that only a city with over 1 million residents could start building a metro. The city of Minsk did its best to attract people from villages and created favourable conditions for their resettlement. And finally in 1972 the millionth Minsker was born. The first eight metro stations were finished in 1984.
The different styles of the metro stations cannot go unnoticed. Every station is designed and decorated according to a specific theme: Lenin, Proletarian revolution, Sports, etc. Other more modern stations are a treat to experience (when putting a bit of your imagination to work): Piatrouschyna metro station gives you a feeling of standing under a sky full of stars on a summer night, while Mikhalova station resembles a sunset in the winter, and Hrushauka may remind you of a sunny August morning.
A warning: do not venture when you have a wheelchair or buggy into the metro. Even if you can get on the metro in for example Uruchie metro station, it will be a very short ride as you won't be able to get out in any other stations as they don’t have lifts or ramps.
Have you had a strange/interesting/cool Belarusian public transport experience? Please share it with us!
Read more about Belarus on our newest platform HiFive Belarus!
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