Частник (Chastnik)
In my entries about my last trip, I forgot to mention another unusual custom which is by no means provocative, but never the less non-existent in America. In every city here, it is common for people to stop a chastnik, which in Russian means a private taxi, to get to where they need to go. This is especially popular in Almaty and Aktay, but can be found in pretty much every city with a larger population. In the States, the idea of flagging any car and going somewhere with a complete stranger at the wheel is a sure sign that you have a death wish. Here, on the other hand, it is one of the main sources of transportation. This is especially true in Almaty, where there are so many people using their vehicles as private taxis, that there are no official cabs to be found in the city.
To flag a chastnik, you hold your hand out. If you are on any street with traffic (which is the case for most streets in Almaty) a car will stop soon after you hold your hand out. You then tell the person where you are going before you hop in. If the driver agrees to take you to your destination, you negotiate a price. Some cities have fixed rates for rides that everyone in town knows and follows. In Almaty, the price is not quite as fixed due to the size of the city and the horrible traffic problems. Being a foreigner can sometimes be a pain if you want to hire a chastnik since there are plenty of folks out there who are more than ready to rip you off. In one instance while we were in Almaty, a car stopped for us. After the driver agreed to take us where we wanted to go, he tried to charge us over three times the going rate to get to our destination. Needless to say, we sent him on his way and flagged another car.
Rides in chastniks are at times fun because it is a good chance to mingle with the locals. There are always lots of interesting questions about life in the States. One of the more unusual questions we were asked was what the going rate was for a prostitute in America. To the disappointment of the driver, we were not able to answer that one.
In my entries about my last trip, I forgot to mention another unusual custom which is by no means provocative, but never the less non-existent in America. In every city here, it is common for people to stop a chastnik, which in Russian means a private taxi, to get to where they need to go. This is especially popular in Almaty and Aktay, but can be found in pretty much every city with a larger population. In the States, the idea of flagging any car and going somewhere with a complete stranger at the wheel is a sure sign that you have a death wish. Here, on the other hand, it is one of the main sources of transportation. This is especially true in Almaty, where there are so many people using their vehicles as private taxis, that there are no official cabs to be found in the city.
To flag a chastnik, you hold your hand out. If you are on any street with traffic (which is the case for most streets in Almaty) a car will stop soon after you hold your hand out. You then tell the person where you are going before you hop in. If the driver agrees to take you to your destination, you negotiate a price. Some cities have fixed rates for rides that everyone in town knows and follows. In Almaty, the price is not quite as fixed due to the size of the city and the horrible traffic problems. Being a foreigner can sometimes be a pain if you want to hire a chastnik since there are plenty of folks out there who are more than ready to rip you off. In one instance while we were in Almaty, a car stopped for us. After the driver agreed to take us where we wanted to go, he tried to charge us over three times the going rate to get to our destination. Needless to say, we sent him on his way and flagged another car.
Rides in chastniks are at times fun because it is a good chance to mingle with the locals. There are always lots of interesting questions about life in the States. One of the more unusual questions we were asked was what the going rate was for a prostitute in America. To the disappointment of the driver, we were not able to answer that one.
posted by moskovki inastranets at 12:13 AM
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