Marshrutka (Russian: маршру́тка; short for "маршрутное такси" (routed taxicab)) is a CIS minibus taxi. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (in Russian: Содружество Независимых Государств (СНГ) - Sodruzhestvo Nezavisimykh Gosudarstv) is a confederation or alliance consisting of 11 former Soviet Republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. ... The introduction of this article does not provide enough context for readers unfamiliar with the subject. ...

History

Early days (pre-1992)

A typical Ukrainian marshrutka

"Routed taxicabs" existed at the time of USSR, although they were not very common and highly irregular. The idea was to introduce minibuses for smaller or seasonal bus routes (i.e., to help transportation in night hours), but the realisation was not-so-great, and the whole idea was quite exotic. The routes were operated at municipal level, thus the quality and concept varied greatly between regions. At that time, most commonly used vehicles were RAF minibus and PAZ bus. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1536x1024, 473 KB) Summary A typical Ukrainian marshrutka (routed taxicab). ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1536x1024, 473 KB) Summary A typical Ukrainian marshrutka (routed taxicab). ... RAF is an three letter acronym for: Royal Air Force -- the Air Force of the United Kingdom (see also Air Ministry) Red Army Faction (Rote Armee Fraktion) -- a German terror organisation Rigas Autobusu Fabrika -- a factory making buses in Riga, Latvia Rapid Action Force in India Računarski Fakultet RAF... PAZ is Permanent Autonomous Zone. ...

Marshrutka boom (1992–2000)

Introduction of market economy greatly changed the transportation demands of urban population. The demand for faster and more versatile public transit rose dramatically, while underfunded municipal transportation system made people willing to pay premium for better service. Although existing buses (like Ikarus, LAZ, PAZ, RAF, and KAZ, as well as irregular imported used minibuses), obtained on a secondary market, were used by entrepreneurs as a back-up on busiest routes since early 1990s, it wasn't before GAZ car manufacturer rolled out first mass Russian minibus, GAZelle, that the modern system took shape. Ikarus is an industrial corporation based in Budapest, Hungary. ... LAZ-695E (1964) Lvivsky avtomobilny zavod (Львівський автомобільний завод) also known under the Soviet name Lvovskiy Avtobusnyi Zavod is a bus factory in Lviv. ... PAZ is Permanent Autonomous Zone. ... RAF-2203 Latvija Rigas Autobusu Fabrika (abbreviated RAF) was a factory in Jelgava, Latvia that makes vans under the brand name Latvija. ... This article lacks information on the subject matters importance. ... // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. ... See also List of automobile manufacturers External links GAZ Oldtimer gallery The GAZ Album Page http://gaz21. ... A GAZelle (Russian: ) is a series of mid-sized trucks, vans and buses made by Russian car manufacturer GAZ. The base model number is GAZ-3302, but several variants exist. ...

GAZelle was an instant hit. Cheap, easy-to-repair and lease-friendly passenger minibus with a capacity of fifteen was exactly what entrepreneurs needed. Initial investment of around US$8,000 could be paid off in less than a year given some luck, so a lot of individual entrepreneurs entered the market, as well as some larger companies. At this point in time, the licensing for public transportation in particular was not needed, the vehicle just had to pass annual safety check-ups, which was relatively easy, since local authorities trusted GAZ cars. See also List of automobile manufacturers External links GAZ Oldtimer gallery The GAZ Album Page http://gaz21. ...

During this period, most routes followed already well-established public transit routes.

Modern days (2000–present)

Witnessing business success of privately-owned public transportation led to some reaction from the society. Local authorities responded by toughening safety and licensing requirements—like mandatory free transportation of certain number of disabled passengers upon request and "package deals" in route licensing—tying the privilege to serve on a lucrative route to the chore of serving several not-so-profitable ones. The market became dominated either by large companies or by unions of owner-operators of individual minibuses. Some of municipal public transportation companies entered the business. The prices went down.

Another consequence was a massive responce from car and bus manufacturers. Old manufacturers introduced smaller, more maneuverable models (like PAZ or KAZ), started licensed assembly of minibused (like KRAZ started assembling Iveco minibuses). Also new businesses were created—Bogdan/Isuzu, or Etalon, usually based upon existing plants. The size of a bus also rose from initial fifteen sitting passengers to jam-packed small buses of fifty, and busiest routes in major cities now use full-size privately-owned buses operating at the same price with municipal companies. Iveco Eurocargo IVECO is an acronym for Industrial VEhicle COrporation, an alliance among leading European commercial vehicle manufacturers such as Fiat(including Officine Meccaniche and Lancia VI), Unic and Magirus. ... Bogdan is a name of Slavic origin, meaning gift of God (just like Theodore and Jonathan), used in Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia. ... Isuzu Motors Ltd. ... In optics, a Fabry-Perot interferometer or etalon is typically made of a transparent plate with two reflecting surfaces, or two parallel highly-reflecting mirrors. ...

Names in other countries

• Turkey—dolmuş
• South Africa—minibus taxi