A route cab is a type of public transport that uses buses, usually small or especially small (minibuses), but sometimes also medium or large class. In different cities minibuses operate in different ways.
The main difference between shuttle buses and city, suburban or intercity shuttle buses is usually a higher fare (not always), no long valid tickets (not always) and no benefits (or a greatly reduced list thereof).
In cases where a particularly small class of bus operates as a route cab, it can make arbitrary stops for picking up and dropping off passengers along the route. In other cases, as a rule, stops are made only at marked or authorized stops on the signal of the passenger.
Advantages of minibus cabs
- From the passenger’s point of view, minibus cabs tend to come before a regular bus, trolleybus, or streetcar. If route cabs are on schedule (usually on routes with low passenger traffic, where the number of trips per day is low), then their schedule usually has more trips than “social” trips and they often come at the busiest and most profitable times. If they do not adhere to any schedule, they often leave right before the “social” bus, trolleybus or streetcar, “intercepting” solvent passengers from it.
- From the passenger’s point of view, cabs are usually faster than regular buses, trolleybuses and streetcars. This can be achieved at the expense of smaller size and better maneuverability of the rolling stock, a more aggressive manner of driving, and in case of using buses of especially small class – a smaller number of stops along the route.
- Sometimes the fare in route cabs is cheaper than in state public transport.
- Recently, turnstiles have been installed in Moscow and the Moscow region state public transport (see ASCP), which make it extremely difficult to use. The absence of this kind of artificial obstacles is a plus for minibus cabs. However, there are suspicions that the introduction of turnstiles was inspired by corrupted city and regional authorities by interested businessmen, including taxi companies.
- In cities where minibuses are operated by a very small class of buses, in most cases people ride the minibuses sitting down.
- In cities where municipal transport is in good condition, solvent passengers get an additional choice of mode of transport.
- In cities where municipal transport is in poor condition, the rolling stock of shuttles can be safer and can also relieve the burden on public routes.
Disadvantages of shuttle buses
- As a phenomenon, shuttle buses have a depressing effect on urban transportation infrastructure. As a result of the emergence of numerous categories of passengers, municipal and state transportation companies often experience financial starvation. This hunger is further exacerbated by the fact that cabs are pulling in the solvent portion of passengers. Often there is a high level of corruption in municipalities, state authorities, state and municipal transport enterprises; in some cities, officials associated with the shuttle bus business deliberately ruin municipal transport.
- Shuttle cabs are a highly accident-prone mode of transport. The aggressive driving style of cabs, caused by competition for passengers on the road and the desire to make as many trips as possible, combined with stops at arbitrary places on the route, including dangerous ones, lead to frequent accidents. Often, minibuses are in improper technical condition, since the control over their technical condition is weak. Drivers of minibus cabs often work with violations of labor standards (excessively long working hours, insufficient rest). Often passengers pay directly to the driver for the fare, which distracts him from driving the bus. Often the interior of the minibus is rearranged in order to increase the capacity; in this case the passive safety of the passengers is reduced.
- Aggressive driving combined with competition for passengers on the road leads to a negative impact on the traffic flow as a whole, reducing the speed of the minibuses themselves.
- As a rule, long-distance tickets are not used in minibuses. Payments are made to the driver (or conductor) for cash, often without the issuance of control tickets. Every transfer is subject to payment. On the other hand, many passengers avoid purchasing long-term tickets because they do not want to be “tied” to one carrier.