In my city, just like other cities in Georgia, there are several transportation options. These include the city bus, private and shared taxis, private vehicles, a passenger train and marshrutkas. Marshrutkas are unique to this part of the world. They are mini-vans used like big, shared taxis. Many people take marshrutkas each day to school, work or the market from their villages.
Many families in Georgia own at least one car. However, public transportation is widely used, especially marshrutkas. A marshrutka can provide transportation within a city, from a city to nearby villages, or from city to city. Marshrutkas are cheaper than taxis, costing about 38 cents per ride. There are no timetables for marshrutkas. Instead, people flag down the vehicle from the road. It's permissible for there to be more passengers than seats. Usually, the driver will not depart from the first stop until the marshrutka is full of people. Passengers bring along luggage, heavy bags of groceries, and sometimes small animals. The driver and passengers work together to fit these things on to the marshrutka.
