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| Bucharest
Getting Around |
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Public
Transport
The metro, open 0500-2330, is
the finest way to get around the city centre. This
service, run by Metrorex
(tel: (01) 212 6366; fax: (01) 312 5149; e-mail: contact@metrore.ro),
has four metro lines (M1, M2, M3 and the new M4), as well as 45
stations and is generally reliable. Stations are indicated
by white signs with a blue ‘M’, though
these are not always as noticeable as they should be and
platforms are poorly marked. Inside, magnetic tickets are purchased
at counters indicated by a ‘Casa’ sign.
There are two types of tickets – two-journey
(US$0.30) and ten-journey (US$1.40). Metro
maps can be bought in bookshops and kiosks and are also
posted near the ticket gate entrance. Tickets should be
inserted into a machine on top of the ticket gate, which records
the entrance time on the ticket. The visitor then advances with
the ticket onto the platform, where trains arrive every few minutes.
Tickets must be kept throughout the journey, as
transport police sometimes check and inflict fines on those without.
The last destination is indicated on the front of the train. Each
stop is announced as the train nears the station. One-day (US$0.60)
and one-month (US$4.35) passes are also available at the station.
Buses (autobus), trolley buses
(troilebuz) and trams (tramvai) operate as one
system, running 0500-2400. RATB, Calea Serban Voda
164-168 (tel: (01) 314 7130) provides this service. Tickets
are identical for all three forms of transport (except
express buses). The express bus system is more useful for getting
to destinations outside the city centre, as not many express buses
actually pass through the centre itself. RATB maps are available
for US$0.15 from yellow kiosks near bus and tram stops, open 0530-2100
Monday to Friday.
Tickets can also be bought at the kiosk but must be stamped in the
ticket machine on-board. Those caught travelling without
a stamped ticket will be penalized US$4. One-way tickets
cost US$0.15. Passes for one day (US$0.50), one week (US$1.70),
15 days (US$3.40) and one month (US$5) are also available. Like
the metro, ticket prices change continuously. This system is more
crowded and confusing than the metro and pickpockets are endemic
during the peak hours.
Express buses operate similarly
to the metro, using magnetic tickets. These cost US$0.65
for two journeys and US$2.50 for ten journeys. A monthly pass is
US$10.50.
Taxis
Taxis wait at taxi ranks in front of hotels and
can be hailed on the street, although telephoning in advance
is the least risky way of securing a taxi. Some of the
best companies are Alfa Taxi (tel: 9488), Meridian
(tel: 9444) and Cristaxi (tel: 9461). On the street,
visitors should stick to the yellow taxis that indicate the journey’s
cost on their meters, starting with US$0.18, and then adding US$0.20
per kilometre travelled. There is no extra charge for luggage in
yellow taxis. However, a US$0.02 supplement is charged in the nighttime.
It is normal to round up the amount owed as the
tip. Drivers seldom give change and keep whatever excess they receive.
Visitors should note that the current number of zeros on Lei notes
can make meter reading fiddly.
Another form of transport is the maxitaxi. These
drive along Piata Romana to Piata Unirii and from the Opera Romana
to Bulevardul Carol I, every ten minutes 0600-2100.
They can be hailed by a wave of the hand and cost just US$0.30 per
journey.
Limousines
Marshal
Tourism at the Hilton Hotel (tel: (01) 335 1224 or 1780; fax:
(01) 335 7976; e-mail: office@marshal.eunet.ro)
offer a Mercedes limousine service and guide drivers. Rates
start at US$75 per day. Sky
Services, operated by Tarom (tel: (01) 204 1002; fax: (01) 201
4840), offer a private limousine service to and from Otopeni International
Airport. A single one-way journey costs US$25.
Driving in the City
Driving around Bucharest can be puzzling. Streets
are not always clearly marked and are full of unanticipated
potholes. In addition to this, Romanians drive fast and
not very carefully. However, it can be a useful way of getting around,
especially to the city’s outskirts. Traffic is bad
only during the rush hour, which lasts almost all day (1000-1700).
Car parks cost about US$0.20 for the first hour,
which is given to a parking attendant as soon as the car is parked
– fees for staying beyond one hour is collected on departure.
There are no parking meters. A popular place
to park is outside the Ateneul Roman,
Piata Revolutiei. Underground car parks are badly marked
but there is one near Universitatii. Cars can be left overnight
in them for a reasonable sum.
Car
Hire
Car hire, targeted at business
visitors, is rather expensive. Travel agencies
usually offer the best prices, especially if booked in advance.
Major companies, in order from the cheapest to the most expensive,
are Budget
(tel: (01) 210 2867; fax: (01) 210 2995; e-mail: budget@pcnet.ro),
Europcar (tel: (01) 314 3910;
e-mail: europcar@ont.ro ),
Hertz (tel:
(01) 222 1256; e-mail: reservations@hertz.com.ro)
and Avis (tel:
(01) 230 4344/45). Romanian car hire operators, such as Euro
Service Amerom (tel: (01) 204 1567; e-mail: esa@arexim.ro),
tend to be cheaper.
Drivers must be at least 21
years of age and must hold a valid passport,
international insurance policy (Green Card, in
Europe), an international driving permit and a
valid driver’s licence that is at least one
year old. The average price is about US$80 per day, including unlimited
mileage and insurance. Cars can be hired on a mileage basis for
much less but approximately US$0.35 per kilometre travelled is charged
on top of the initial cost. Insurance is about US$17. These companies
also offer cars with drivers, which are not as costly.
Scooter & Bicycle Hire
Bicycle and scooter hire is neither advisable nor available
in Bucharest, seeing as traffic is unpredictable, roads are bad
and the chances of theft are high. |
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