Dushanbe - Post Report Question and Answers
Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
Nobody takes the marshrutkas (minibuses) as they are extremely crowded, hot, and basically Covid on wheels. Taxis are everyone and quite cheap; you can order them using an app but they will still call you on the phone and ask where you are. Many drivers are not from Dushanbe and you will either have to give them directions or put up with them stopping to ask multiple other drivers where to go. Most of the have seatbelts but no place to buckle in. - Aug 2021
Local mass transport is off-limits for Embassy personnel. Taxis are both plentiful and affordable (not sure any driving here is really "safe"). - Apr 2021
Taxis are safe and very affordable. Taxi rides within the city run US $2-5. - Jun 2020
Yes. Local taxis are ubiquitous and cheap. Say "20 somoni" (about $2.50) before you get in and that will take you anywhere in town. (You can get down to 15, or 10 if you speak good Tajik or Russian, but it requires haggling.) Marshrutkas (little van-buses) run on fixed routes and cost 2 somoni (about $0.25) -- they are the cheapest option but are often crowded and are reckless drivers. There are group-taxis that run fixed routes up and down Rudaki and Somoni Avenues; they're the cars with large numbers (like "3" and "8") in the windows. They cost 3 somoni each, and they'll pick up and drop off anywhere along their routes.
Security is not an issue though I'd use common sense -- hang on to your purse, etc. - Dec 2016
Marshrutkas (local shared minivan taxis) are widely available. The guys who drive them are some of the worst drivers in the world. - Dec 2015
Trains? None. Buses? Terrifying. Taxis/mashrutkas? Cheap and okay but not always safe and always, always, always super crowded. - Jun 2014
We took Marshutkas, and the buses all of the time. the taxis were fine as well... - Mar 2014
Yes. But without speaking the local language this is tough. - Oct 2013
There are buses and taxis which are safe and affordable. Private cars drive around and pick people up for about 60 cents per ride. They have a number in the windshield. It's an easy and safe way to get around Dushanbe. - Jan 2012
No trains. Buses are fine and run frequently on two or three streets. Taxis are generally fly-by-night but cheap. Don't expect taxi drivers to speak English or know where anything is. "Mashrutkas" (shared vans) go everywhere and are very cheap, but you must speak Russian or Tajik. - Jun 2009
Not really safe, not recommended, but affordable. We don't take them at all. You'll have to be very comfortable literally smashed against a stranger with strong body odor to take the buses. And everyone is a taxi, especially if you look foreign. It's usually safe, but there are times when it's not. - Jul 2008
