St. Petersburg Public Transportation System

St. Petersburg has quite an extensive system of public transportation serving over 4 million commuters every day.

It has a well-developed network of buses, trams and trolleys in addition to the privately-operated yellow taxis which grew in numbers over the last years. By far the most popular way of getting around the city is by subway (also known as Metro).

While most visitors will find public transportation a convenient way of traveling around downtown, getting to the outskirts using public transportation is still a daunting and in most cases not very pleasant experience. If you come on business or with a large family, you may want to rent a car either with driver or without.

Metro - #1 mode of transportation in St. Petersburg which can take you to any part of the city in about 30 minutes. With 4 lines and over 50 stations, St. Petersburg Metro is the second largest underground transportation facility in Russia. Trains run from 5:30am till 1:00am and one ride will cost you 10 roubles irrespective of the distance traveled.

Taxis - The general perception is that taxis have become more user-friendly, as a growing number of private taxi operators are competing to attract more customers offering them better vehicles and a host of new services

Express Buses - These swift letter-K vans may come up to a bus stop so fast that you may not even have time to decide whether you need to get in or not! Jokes aside, this growing niche of express bus service (also known as marshrutnoe taksi or marshrutka) offers taxi-like speed at the bus-level prices

Trolleybuses - These environmentally-friendly buses service all parts of St. Petersburg. Albeit pretty slow, they can provide a pleasant ride around downtown as long as you watch your pockets and understand directions in Russian

Trams - Known for their red color, trams run from 6:00am till 1:00am. Although many tram lines in the city center have been terminated due to traffic congestion concerns, you can still experience tram rides along selected streets in downtown, as well as use an extensive tram network in the outskirts of the city

Buses - The second largest system of public transportation provides an efficient way of getting around the city center and all districts of Saint Petersburg. Both local and long-distance bus service is available

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