Transportation

Marshrutkas

Marshrutkas are minivans or small buses that follow a set route through a city or region and make stops to pick up or drop off passengers along the way. They are a common budget public transportation option throughout Kyrgyzstan. A marshrutka usually has a printed board in its front window indicating its route and stops, often written only in Cyrillic letters. It's best to ask your guest house or host to write out the name of where you want to go in Cyrillic so that you can easily find the marshrutka you need. Having a written name will make it easier for locals at the bus stations to help you get on the right marshrutka. In addition, the ticket person will often yell the final destination or route the marshrutka is taking so you can also listen closely to find the right one to get you where you want to go.

It is often easiest to find a seat if you catch a marshrutka at or near the starting point, usually a bus station or market. However, you can also flag down a passing marshrutka along its route with your hand out much like you would hail a taxi. If there's room -- either to sit or stand -- the driver should stop and allow you to board. Traveling by marshrutka is an easy and affordable public transportation option along main routes within Jalal-Abad region.

Using marshrutkas in Jalal-Abad city: The system of numbered marshrutkas in Jalal-Abad city offers affordable public transport with a fixed fee of 15 KGS/person from early morning until late evening through a system of numbered marshrutkas operating throughout the town.

Shared Taxis

Shared taxis are also common throughout Jalal-Abad region and are an efficient and affordable way for travelers to get to different towns, villages and sites, usually via a more direct and faster route than by marshrutka. Shared taxis often used unmarked cars and, like marshrutkas, certain drivers take a regular route each day or several times a day to a specific location (e.g., town, village, site). You can usually find shared taxis at bus stations.  There is typically no set schedule as they leave once the car is full (usually four passengers). At busy times, the wait is typically short to popular destinations as there are many people who want to travel then. The fee is only moderately more than a marshrutka. However, at other times it may take a long time to find enough passengers to fill the car and depart. If this happens, and you get tired of waiting around, you can usually negotiate with the driver and offer to pay for the missing passengers so that the driver leaves immediately.

Private Taxis / Private Transport

The quickest and most direct way to get around Jalal-Abad region is by private taxi or hiring a driver. This is often more affordable than you might assume and will allow you to set the schedule and route so that you can leave when you want and stop off at different places, if desired, along the way. Destination Jalal-Abad is able to assist you in arranging private transport.