Transportation in Lublin

Many residents in Lublin do not own cars and simply travel by bus or taxi.  There are a lot of these private mini buses that come in from the suburbs, linking residents to the city transportation system. They pull up to the curb and people quickly pile out, then the buses race off again.   Probably 15 of these buses come by our bus stop each  morning as we are waiting for the kids' bus.  The other day, one rider hopped out and opened the luggage trunk in the back.  He grabbed his bag, but before he could close the trunk, the bus pulled away - ha!

The traffic congestion in the city is pretty minimal (getting most busy around 'rush hour' at 3:30 in the afternoon).  There are a wide variety of cars on the street, with the most prevalent being Volkswagons (Golf) and Mercedes. 

    

A main highway runs by near our apartment (where the bus stop is for the kids' school).  There are lots of semis that drive by on the road.  None of them are "18 wheelers" - they have 12 wheels.  They also all have canvas siding instead of aluminum.  I expect this makes them lighter, use less gas, and probably easier to load and unload too.

Cabs are also very available.  We've taken one a couple of times when we've missed a bus and didn't want to wait in the cold for the next one.  

You DON'T want to "ride black" - ride without a validated ticket.  There are Kontrollers who randomly board buses and fine anyone who doesn't have a ticket.  Adam faced their wrath this week on his way to school.  The bus was crowded and he couldn't reach the validation box.  They yelled at him, but didn't end up writing him a ticket.  They cover the routes pretty extensively, I've been on a bus that they've boarded almost every day. -Carolyn