Africa Some
Francophone African countries use the term '''''' ('bush taxi', often spelled with a space rather than a hyphen in English) for share taxis. In some African cities, routes are run between formal termini, of passengers board. or its mode of operation. African minibuses are difficult to
tax, prospective passengers flag down a
taxi collectif when they want a ride. Operating inter- The
Irish Department of Foreign Affairs asks that you use taxis recommended by a hotel.
Burkina Faso In
Ouagadougou, capital of
Burkina Faso, the share taxi or role is not filled by the traditional African minibus. these shared taxis can also be boarded anywhere along the route. In
Accra, syndicates include GPRTU and PROTOA. The term "tro tro" is believed to derive from the
Ga word
tro, "threepence", because the conductors usually asked for "three three pence", which was the standard bus fare in the 1940s, when Ghana still used the
British West African pound and later the
Ghanaian pound. Alternatively, its origin is not "three times three pence" but rather "threepence [thruhpnce, tro] each": doubling a coin's name in the vernacular means "that coin for each person (or item)". Three pence was the price per passenger in the early 1960s, when pounds/shillings/pence were still in use, including threepence coins, before decimalization of the currency into cedi and pesewa in 1965. bus with a mate In Ghana,
tro tro are licensed by the government, but the industry is self-regulated.
Ivory Coast In the
Ivory Coast,
gbaka is a name for minibus public transports. and mode of operation (such as routes used) as well as the vehicle.
Madagascar Mali In
Mali, share taxis are called
sotrama and
dourouni.
Nigeria In
Nigeria, both minibusses (called
danfo Lagos, Nigeria, has a transport-dedicated
regulator, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Agency (LAMATA). share taxis, or
twegerane. Prior to 1987, the taxi industry in South Africa was highly regulated and controlled. Black taxi operators were declined permits in the
Apartheid era and all minibus taxi operations were, by their very nature, illegal. Post-1987, the industry was rapidly deregulated, leading to an influx of new minibus taxi operators, keen to make money off the high demand for this service. Taxi operators banded together to form local and national associations. Because the industry was largely unregulated and the official regulating bodies corrupt, these associations soon engaged in anti-competitive
price fixing and exhibited gangster tactics – including the hiring of hit-men and all-out gang warfare. During the height of the conflict, it was common for taxi drivers to carry shotguns and
AK-47s to shoot rival taxi drivers and their passengers on sight. Along with new legislation, the government has instituted a recapitalization scheme to replace the old and un-roadworthy vehicles with new 18- and 35-seater minibusses. These new minibus taxis carry the South African flag on the side and are notably more spacious and safe.
Tanzania Minivans and minibuses are used as vehicles for hire and referred to as
dala dala in
Tanzania. While
dala dala may run fixed routes picking up passengers at central locations, they will also stop along the route to drop someone off or allow a prospective passenger to board. Before minibuses became widely used, the typical
dala dala was a
pick-up truck with benches placed in the
truck bed. In
Dar es Salaam, as of 2008, publicly operated minibus service also exists. In French, the name means "rental." Departing only when filled with passengers not at specific times, they can be hired at stations. Blue-striped louage can also be seen.
West Africa The term
kia kia may be used in
Yorùbáland to refer to minibus public transports, and means "quick quick".
India In
India, several cities have minibuses apart from the presence of three-wheeler taxi-cabs called rickshaws. Minibuses are especially popular in the city of
Kolkata for intra-city travel but are also present elsewhere. It is also a crucial mode of public transport in the
Himalayan region and in the hilly tracts of
Northeast India, as other modes of transport are infrequent or absent altogether. Shared taxis have been operating in
Mumbai, India, since the early 1970s. These are point-to-point services that operate during peak hours. During
off-peak hours they ply like regular taxis; they can be hailed anywhere on the roads and passengers are charged by the meter. During peak hours they will take a full cab load of passengers to a more or less common destination. The pick-up points are usually fixed, and sometimes (but not always) marked by a sign saying "shared taxis". Cabs typically line up at this point during peak hours. They sometimes display their general destination on their windscreens, and passengers get in and wait for the cab to fill up, which leave when full. Fares are fixed and much lower than the metered fare to the same destination, but higher than a bus or train fare. Such informal arrangements also exist in other Indian cities. Share jeeps are a common form of transportation in the Himalayas, the North Eastern States, and elsewhere.
Indonesia In Indonesia, share taxis are officially called
Mobil Penumpang Umum ()
. Angkutan Kota (), abbreviated as
angkot, are shared taxis in
Indonesia widely operating throughout the country, usually with
microbuses. In some places there were also three-wheelers which are called
bemo (such as
autorickshaws based on the
Daihatsu Midget) but these have been phased out. The older version of Angkot is called
oplet. The name of this transportation differs from each different province or area in the country. In
Jakarta, it is called
angkot or
"mikrotrans", in other parts such as in
Sulawesi, the term
mikrolet (shortened
"mikro") is more widely used especially in
Manado. In
Makassar it is called
"pete-pete", in
Malang it is called
"angkota", in
Medan it is called
"sudako", in
Indonesian Papua it is called "
taksi", in
Aceh it is called
"labi-labi", and in
Samarinda it is called "
minibus" (but even within the city itself is also called
angkot). Share taxis operated across
rural/village routes are called
angkutan desa (), abbreviated as
angkudes. Angkot and
angkudes run accordingly to their exact routes and may stop at any class of bus stations (A, B, and C-Type bus stations). Additionally, passengers can stop the van anywhere along its route, and it is not required to stop at a
bus stop. In 2017,
Jakarta launched OKTrip, a cooperation with Kooperasi Wahana Kalpika to provide an
angkot with an integrated fare with
Transjakarta. The system was then continuously refined, birthing Mikrotrans, an
angkot that is integrated with the wider Transjakarta system. Passengers are not required to pay a fare, but are required to tap a
cash card. In 2023,
Surabaya also launched
Wirawiri Suroboyo, a feeder system wholly run by the Department of Transport. Passengers are still required to pay fares when boarding a Wirawiri
angkot, but are handed tickets that are integrated with the wider
Suroboyo Bus and select
Trans Semanggi Suroboyo corridors. Several cities have followed Surabaya's model, including
Donggala. File:JAK-54 (cropped).jpg|An Mikrotrans operated by
Transjakarta in
Jakarta File:Unit_Gran_Max_Feeder_Wirawiri_Suroboyo_(Maret_2023)_(cropped).jpg|A
Wirawiri Suroboyo operated by
Suroboyo Bus in
Surabaya File:Angkot Kalapa Dago at Dago Street in 2012.jpg|A traditional share taxi or angkot in
Bandung Iran In Iran, a share taxi is usually called "taxi", while a non-share is called "ajans"/اژانس, pronounced [aʒans]. Four passengers share a taxi and sometimes there is no terminus and they wait in the street side and blare their destination to all taxis until one of them stops. These are regular taxis but if somebody wants to get a non-share taxi he can call for an ajans (taxi service) for himself or wait in the street side and say
"Darbast" (which means non-share). It means he is not interested in sharing the taxi and is consequently willing to pay more for the privilege. Minibuses, with a capacity of 18 passengers, and van taxis, with a capacity of 10 passengers are other kinds of share transport in Iran.
Israel In
monit sherut, pl.
moniyot sherut is a word meaning "service taxi". Referring to vans or minibuses that serve as share taxis in
Israel, these can be picked up from anywhere on their route. They follow fixed routes
Moniyot sherut operate both inter- and intra-city. and are known for their color and flamboyant decoration. riders can nonetheless disembark at any time; and while jeepneys ply fixed routes, these may be subject to change over time. New ones may need approval from a Philippine transport
regulator. Jeepney stations do exist. Another share taxi that is also common in the Philippines is the
UV Express which uses
Compact MPVs and
vans as its form factor. These vehicles seat 10–18 people and charge an additional 2
Philippine peso per kilometer (as of 2013).
Thailand Literally "two rows" a
songthaew or
song thaew and
Laos or a larger truck and used as a share taxi. They are also known as baht buses.
Timor-Leste The main form of public transportation in
Dili, the capital of
Timor-Leste, is a system of
microlets, also referred to informally as
bemos, which are similar to Indonesian
angkots. There are thirteen
microlet routes in Dili, each distinguished by a different number and color. Each route is a loop, with few formal stops; instead, passengers wave down a
microlet along its route when they wish to ride. To get off, passengers tap a coin on the metal railing inside the vehicle to indicate for the driver to stop.
Microlet rides cost 25 centavos (
US$0.25), regardless of distance traveled.
Turkey and Northern Cyprus In
Turkey and
Northern Cyprus,
dolmuşlar (singular
dolmuş, pronounced "dolmush") are share taxis that run on set routes within and between cities. These cars or minibuses display their routes on a signboard behind the
windscreen. Some cities may only allow
dolmuş to pick up and drop passengers at designated stops, and terminals also exist. The word derives from
Turkish for "full" or "stuffed", as these share taxis depart from the terminal only when a sufficient number of passengers have boarded. Visitors to Turkey have been surprised by the speed of
dolmuş travel. There are also minibuses (Minibus) In the outskirts of cities like Istanbul, that take people from Point A to Point B, however they can get really crowded. They also have stops that are not usually labelled. Traveling intra and inter-city, the privately owned minibuses are overseen by a governance institution; routes are leased and vehicles licensed. Passengers board anywhere along the route as well as at termini and official stations.
Dolmuşlar in Turkish-controlled Northern Cyprus display their routes but don't follow timetables.
West Bank, Palestine Share taxis are often called "ser-vees" (service taxi) in the
West Bank. Minibuses are often used in lieu of vans.
Ford Transit vans were often a popular vehicle for conversion, resulting in the
generic trademark "Ford" and "Fordat"(pl) being used to describe minibusses of various makes, replacing aging Mercedes sedans. Aard was taken over by
New Zealand Railways Road Services in 1928. picks up a passenger at
Dunedin Railway Station in New Zealand. Shared taxis in New Zealand nowadays are referred to as
shuttles or
shuttle vans. Shared buses or vans are available in many more developed countries connecting frequent destinations, charging a fixed fee per passenger. The most common case is a connection between an airport and central city locations. These services are often known as shuttles. Such services usually use smaller vehicles than normal buses and often operate on demand. An air traveler can contact the shuttle company by telephone or
Internet, not necessarily in advance; the company will ensure that a shuttle is provided without unreasonable delay. The shuttle will typically connect one airport with several large hotels, or addresses in a specified area of the city. The shuttle offers much of the convenience of a taxi, although it takes longer, at a price that is significantly lower for one or two passengers. Scheduled services between an airport and a hotel, usually operated by the hotel, are also called shuttles. In many cases the shuttle operator takes the risk of there not being enough passengers to make the trip profitable; in others, there is a minimum charge when there are not enough passengers. Usually, there are regulations covering vehicles and drivers; for example in New Zealand under NZTA regulations, shuttles are only allowed to have up to eleven passenger seats, and the driver must have a passenger endorsement (P) on their driver's license.
Europe Former Soviet Union ,
Kyrgyzstan region
Moldova In Moldova, share taxis are called
rutiere (
singular rutieră). Introduced in 1981, they are private, owner-operated
minibuses that operate along fixed routes. In cities, each rutieră route has a given number, as in the case of
buses or
trolleybuses.
Netherlands Besides the conventional
deeltaxi, there are
treintaxis in some
Dutch towns. Operated on behalf of the
Netherlands Railways, they run to and from railway stations and the ride is shared with additional passengers picked up along the way. Tickets can be purchased at railway ticket offices or from the cabdriver, but
treintaxis must be ordered by phone unless boarding at a railway station.
Bulgaria ,
Bulgaria Marshrutkas are rare in Bulgaria. As of 2021, only a single route operates in Sofia, while 10 lines operate in
Plovdiv. They are customized passenger vans that have been modified to include large windows in the back, rails and handles. Marshrutkas are commonly white, although their colour varied, and are partially covered in
advertising. In some cases, seating has been modified — popular routes carrying more passengers typically have more standing space. Examples of van models include
Peugeot Boxer,
Citroën Jumper,
Ford Transit,
Iveco Daily and
Renault Master. They have a fixed fare; the fare is paid upon boarding. Marshrutkas were not obliged to stop anywhere on the route, although they did slow down around popular spots. Marshrutka drivers were asked to stop and pick one up in a taxi-like manner; the getting-off was arranged with the driver, often by just standing up and approaching the door. Sometimes the driver would ask for consent to veer off the route to avoid a traffic jam or roadworks.
Romania In
Romania,
microbuze or
maxi-taxi supplied the need of affordable public transportation in smaller towns when some local administrations abolished the expensive community-owned systems of buses. In
Bucharest, this form of transportation appeared in 1977, when the ITB began using them as a peak-hour service, beginning to use
Irannational-made
Mercedes-Benz T2 vans, being supplemented in 1983 by
Rocar-TV 35M vans. Prior to this, in 1973, the
ITB experimented with what was called at the time "fixed taxi lines", which ran between the
Drumul Taberei,
Titan and
Berceni housing estates and picked up and stopped passengers on request, before discontinuing the experiment the following year. In 1990, the newly founded
RATB sold off its operations to private operators, who began using them in competition to the RATB. They enjoyed wide popularity, especially from 2003 to 2007, and from 2011 onwards, when the RATB lost the rights to operate suburban routes. On the Black Sea shore, it is very common to travel from
Constanţa or
Mangalia to the resorts on minibuses (microbuze), especially in those resorts where the competing train service is far from the beach and/or lodging facilities. These minibuses have been criticised for their shady operations, lack of safety and primitive transportation conditions.
Greece In
Athens,
Greece most taxis were share taxis, but since the country joined the
EU in 1981, this tradition started to disappear.
United Kingdom In 2018, Arriva launched shared taxi service Arriva Click in
Liverpool and
Sittingbourne and
Kent Science Park in the United Kingdom.
Northern Ireland In some towns in
Northern Ireland, notably certain districts in
Ballymena,
Belfast,
Derry and
Newry, share taxi services operate using
Hackney carriages and are called black taxis. These services developed during
The Troubles as public bus services were often interrupted due to street
rioting. Taxi collectives are closely linked with political groups – those operating in Catholic areas with
Sinn Féin, those in Protestant areas with
loyalist paramilitaries and their political wings. Typically, fares approximate those of
Translink operated bus services on the same route. Service frequencies are typically higher than on-bus services, especially at peak times, although limited capacities mean that passengers living close to the termini may find it difficult to find a black taxi with seats available in the
rush hour.
Switzerland Major providers of share taxis in Switzerland are Telebus Kriens LU, Taxito, myBuxi, Kollibri by Swiss Postal Bus, and Pikmi by VBZ Verkehrsbetriebe Zurich ZH.
North America Barbados Most areas of
Barbados are served by
ZRs, which run in addition to the
government-run bus service.
Dominican Republic In the
Dominican Republic, share taxis, called guaguas, are privately owned vehicles
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada advises against traveling in the Dominican Republic
carros públicos because doing so makes passengers targets for robbery, and because the taxis are known to, "disregard traffic laws, often resulting in serious accidents involving injuries and sometimes death." The
United States Department of State also warns that using them is hazardous, due to
pickpockets, and are sometimes passengers are robbed by the drivers themselves.
Haiti Tap taps, gaily painted buses Often they are painted with religious names or
slogans. While saying not to use any form of public transport in
Haiti, the
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada advises against
tap tap travel especially. The
United States Department of State also warns travelers not to use
tap taps, "because they are often overloaded, mechanically unsound, and driven unsafely."
Saint Lucia In
Saint Lucia, waychehs are a name for minibus public transports using
Toyota HiAce.
Canada In
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in the 1920s, jitneys competed directly with the streetcar monopoly operating along the same routes as the streetcars, but jitneys were charging lower fares. In
Quebec, share taxis or jitneys are called
taxis collectifs (in English "shared taxis") or
transport collectif par taxi, literally "public transport by taxi". (which the
STM translates in English as "taxibus") and are operated by
subcontractors to the local transit authorities on fixed routes. In the case of
Montréal, the fare is the same as the local bus fare, but no cash and
transfers are issued or accepted; in the case of the
STL, only
bus passes.
United States , 2009 of a jitney cab and passengers in 1915 St. Louis, Missouri In the United States, share taxis are called
jitneys or
dollar vans. They are typically modified passenger vans, and often operate in urban neighborhoods that are underserved by public mass transit or taxis. Some are licensed and regulated, while others operate illegally. They operate at designated stops or can be hailed from the street. Both common names – dollar van and jitney – originated similarly. Jitney is an archaic term for an American
nickel, the common fare for early jitneys. In the late 20th century, when a typical fare was one dollar, the corresponding name came into usage, though "jitney" is still also common. It is generally a small-capacity vehicle that follows a rough service route, but it can go slightly out of its way to pick up and drop off passengers. In many US cities such as
Pittsburgh and
Detroit, the term
jitney refers to an unlicensed taxi cab. They are often owned and used by members of inner-city communities, such as African/Caribbean American, Latino, and Asian-American populations. Travelers cite cost and greater frequency as factors in choosing jitneys over larger bus service, whereas safety and comfort are cited for choosing buses. The first jitneys in the United States operated in
Los Angeles, California in 1914. By 1915, there were 62,000 nationwide. Local regulations, demanded by streetcar companies, forced jitneys out of business in most places. By the end of 1916, only 6,000 jitneys remained. Operators were referred to as "jitney men." They were so successful that the city government banned them at the request of the streetcar operators.
Atlanta Jitneys were popular in
Atlanta from 1915 to 1925 as an alternative to streetcars. In Atlanta, jitneys run along
Buford Highway.
New York City In
New York City, dollar vans serve major areas that lack adequate subway service in
transit deserts. The vans pick up and drop off anywhere along a route, and payment is made at the end of a trip. During periods when limited public mass transit is unavailable, dollar vans were the only feasible method of transportation for many commuters. In such situations, city governments may pass legislation to deter
price gouging. Most dollar vans operate illegally, due to possible rules and fines. Dollar vans and other jitneys mainly serve low-income, immigrant communities in
transit deserts, which lack sufficient bus and subway service.
New Jersey In New Jersey, 6,500 jitney buses are registered, and are required to have an "Omnibus" license plate, which denotes the vehicle's federal registration. They are also required to undergo inspection by the state
MVC mobile inspection team on the vehicles' companies' property twice a year, and be subject to surprise inspection. Drivers of jitneys are required to qualify for a Class B or Class C Commercial Drivers License (CDL), depending on whether the vehicle seats up to 15 or 30 passengers. Violations against a driver's CDL must be resolved and result in payment of fines prior to resumption of driving on the driver's part, with retesting required if the driver waits longer than three years to resolve the issues. Denser urban areas of
northern New Jersey, such as
Hudson,
Bergen and
Passaic County, are also served by dollar vans, which are commonly known as jitneys, and most of which are run by
Spanish Transportation and Community Line, Inc.
Nungessers, along the
Anderson Avenue-Bergenline Avenue transit corridor is a major origination/termination point, as are
42nd Street in Manhattan,
Newport Mall and
Five Corners in
Jersey City, and
GWB Plaza in
Fort Lee. These interstate vans are under the purview of the federal government. Others choose buses because, they claim, jitney drivers are less safe, and are prone to using cell phones and playing loud music while driving. Although
Union City jitney driver Samuel Martinez has complained that authorities unfairly target them and not the larger buses,
North Bergen Patrol Commander Lt. James Somers has contended that jitneys are less safe, and sometimes exhibit higher levels of aggressive driving in order to pick up passengers, which has led to arguments among drivers. Somers also stated that police can only stop a vehicle that appears to have an obvious problem, and that only certified inspectors from the state MVC can stop a vehicle for less apparent, more serious problems. Claims have also been made that jitneys cause congestion and undermine licensed bus service. Drivers of these vans have also developed a reputation for ignoring traffic laws in the course of competing for fares, picking up and dropping off passengers at random locations, and driving recklessly. jitney bus belonging to the New York-based Sphinx company toppled a light pole. The driver, Idowu Daramola of Queens, was arrested and charged with a number of offenses, including using a cell phone while driving. Officials also stated that he was speeding; Several companies run vans in Northern New Jersey, often following similar routes to New Jersey Transit buses but at a slightly lower price and greater frequency. The most common routes have an eastern terminus on street level in Manhattan, either near the
Port Authority Bus Terminal or the
George Washington Bridge Bus Station. Often, several different companies ply the same route.
Miami In Miami, jitneys (also known as the Miami Mini Bus) run through various neighborhoods, mostly those stretching between Downtown Miami to
The Mall at 163rd Street in
North Miami Beach, Florida. Miami has the country's most comprehensive jitney network, due to Caribbean influence.
San Francisco Jitneys ran in San Francisco from late 1914 to January 2016. In the 1910s, there were more than 1,400 jitneys operating in the city. However, by 2016, declining ridership combined with mounting penalties for traffic citations made the operations unprofitable.
Houston The Houston Wave, Houston's first jitney service in 17 years, operated between 2009 and 2019. It expanded into a network of buses operating within Loop 610 and to all special event venues in Houston.
Latin America In Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, "carros públicos" (literally "public cars") are share taxis. Carros Publicos set routes with several passengers sharing the ride and others picked up throughout the journey.
Chile, Peru and Guatemala , Chile
Taxis colectivos are also found in
Peru,
Chile,
Guatemala, and
Argentina, where they are most commonly referred to simply as
colectivos, although in some places they have become essentially standard buses. ==References==