Busin' it, Kyiv style!

Over the weekend, Tom and I decided to take a bus ride. We hopped on the #16 at a central location not far from our place and rode the whole route. It was a fun way to explore another part of the city. There are some interesting things associated with riding the bus here. For example, the fare purchasing is not automated, although, you can purchase a card and just flash it at the fare collector (see the blurry picture of the woman with the blue vest). Otherwise, you hand over 1.5 hryvnia ($0.18) and she'll give you a ticket that you'll punch in a contraption affixed to the side of the bus. I guess each bus and tram has a unique punch, so someone could tell if you were trying to use an already punched ticket on a different bus. Another funny thing is the wear and tear on the buses -- most of them look pretty ragged. And, there's copious amounts of graffiti all over the seats and walls. And, when we got out to the end of the route, we stalled for a bit in the middle of the intersection. Tom and I couldn't figure out what we were waiting for until we saw a middle-aged man, dressed in black with a backpack slung over his shoulder running to the bus. He dashed into the front and took over for the the driver behind the wheel. I guess he was late for work!