Public transport

Man! local public transport is a nightmare. In Dnepropetrovsk it consists of four forms of tranpsport.
Trains. the local train network is poor. There is so much other public transport that I don't think they ever bothered improving it much so there is not a lot of it. However, the good thing is that most of the time the conductors who do the tickets on the trains are so lazy that you can normally cross the city without being asked to buy a ticket, and they have no checking system at the stations.
Trams. Here we have a tram system, and its old, poorly maintained and regularly breaks down. However, its cheap, really cheap. I use it when I have no choice, which is not very often as standing on a moving tram requires balance skills that I just don't have.
Trolley buses. thats buses that run on electricity with overhead wires. Again, as with the trams, old, and poorly maintained, and cheap. I don't think I have ever travelled on them here but they always seem to be rammed full up to the windows. So I am quite happy about this.
Marshrutka. What can I say? Incredible! If you never do anything else in former soviet countries thenI advise that you take at least one trip on a marshrutka. Simply put its a transit van with the panels cut out and windows put in and as many seats as possible stuffed inside. Legally, they can seat about 15 to 20 people. Normally they seat 15 to 20 people. then stuff another 30 inside standing. Right up to being stuffed against the windows. Even then the drivers will always stop and let another person fight their way on board. I have to endure this twice a day for 40 minutes either way. So do all the other normal travellers here. Its cheap, but uncomfortable and the drivers only thoughts are motivated purely by money. If the driver could replace the people with boxes of goods and make the same money he would. I am used to it now, but the first month of this was not good for me. I was angry and frustrated every day befor I even got to work. To make things worse, Natalya had to come with me too as I did not know enough language and the right thing to say to be able to do the journey by myself. so there I was, lead by the hand like a schoolboy on his first days at school each day, and met outside work at night. Happy bunny I was not! But the job made it worth while.