Seats on buses and metros quickly fill up before and after work, and the rest of the space is almost always crammed full of people standing.
Language can be the biggest challenge when navigating public transportation in Georgia. Metros are my favorite because they announce the stops in Georgian and English, so I can know when my stop is coming up! After learning the names of the stops better, it is easier to recognize them by their unique designs. I have also learned to count how many stops will pass before getting off at the right one! I listen to stories or music through my headphones to help pass the time during my journeys on public transportation. I find buses and marshrutkas to be a lot harder to navigate compared to the metro because the buses and marshrutkas have screens that show the next stop, but it is all in the Georgian language, which I do not know. I have to rely on Google Maps to show where I am and where to get off. Also tricky is the fact that buses and marshrutkas do not always make stops: if no one is at a bus stop, and no passenger has requested to get off, the driver will drive on by. So, I cannot rely on my habit of counting the number of stops to get me to my destination, as I do on the metro!
The nature of transportation in Georgia is determined by both the culture and the environment, here. Quick history lesson:Georgia joined the Soviet Union in 1922 when cars were still relatively new and becoming common in the U.S.A. During this period, private vehicles in the Soviet Union were much less common.
