Opinions regarding which mode of transport is better to travel are very different. Someone prefers the bus, and someone prefers the movement of the railroad. It is impossible to answer the question unequivocally, since opinions differ not only because of personal preferences, but also the cost of tickets, different life situations and other factors. Even in the same direction, in different cases, a train or a bus can be convenient.
When should you stop by train?
When moving long distances, most people choose the railroad. Their choice is determined by the following factors:
- On the train, a person feels more comfortable. He can change the position of the body - sit down or lie down, and even walk around the car. You can go to the toilet at any time.
- Easily calculate travel time. Trains are rarely late, unlike buses, which often get stuck in traffic jams. In winter, their movements can complicate weather conditions.
- Rail transport is considered safer, as there are many accidents on the roads.
- Many trains move at night, which means that there is no need to waste the "useful" daytime. In addition, you can sleep well on the way.
There are situations when it is more reasonable to make a choice in favor of the railway:
- Big luggage. There is a restriction on buses - to take no more than 2 pieces of luggage per person.
- Health problems. If you have back pain, joint or leg problems, traveling by car can be a challenge.
- Traveling with a child. Many children get sick on the bus. In addition, it is difficult for them to sit in one place for a long time. In a compartment in a child there will be more space for games. Yes, and the baby can be quite comfortable to sit.
- Company trip. In the compartment you can retire and calmly communicate. This will not be possible on the bus.
Sometimes the time factor also plays a role. Most high speed trains can get you to your destination faster.
Note! Traveling by wheeled transport for a tall person may not be comfortable. The fact is that the seats are located close to each other, so there is nowhere to put your legs.
When is the best time to take the bus?
If a trip is planned for a distance of no more than 200 km, then it is better to choose a bus. The fact is that suburban electric trains usually travel on the railway for short distances (up to 200 km), but buses run along the same routes with a high level of comfort. They have soft comfortable chairs, dry closet and other amenities.
They choose this type of transport due to the fact that a ticket is easier to buy. Buses run more often, and therefore there are more offers. If you have a trip with comfortable modern transport, then the distance does not matter. Sometimes the choice in favor of wheeled transport is determined by the price, although sometimes it is cheaper to travel by train. Sometimes people choose the bus for the opportunity to spend time alone.
What transport to give preference?
There is no significant difference between the movement and the train. Each person makes a choice based on the following features:
- travel distance;
- desired comfort conditions;
- the availability and price of tickets;
- travel time, etc.
The subjective factor also plays an important role. Some people choose the railway for a kind of romance, the sound of wheels and the opportunity to communicate with neighbors, while others, on the contrary, prefer loneliness. Instead of chatting, they spend their travel time reading books or listening to their favorite music.
Price is not the deciding factor
The choice of mode of transport is usually not related to the fare, since the price of a ticket can depend on several factors:
- directions;
- comfort level;
- carrier company;
- class of service, etc.
For example, the distance between the capital and St. Petersburg can be covered by an ordinary bus in 11.5 hours for 1,100 rubles. If you travel by train for almost 10 hours, you will have to pay more than 900 rubles. A comfortable bus will cost somewhere - 1.5 thousand rubles. The same amount will have to be paid for a fast train, which will overcome the path in 8 hours. But a trip on a high-speed train will cost more - from 2000, but the travel time is about 4 hours.
From Moscow you can go to any major (and not so) European city: by plane, train or bus. And what is the cheapest way to travel to the countries of the Old World? AiF.ru compared the cost of tickets for different types of passenger transportation (with departure dates in October) and found out which is more profitable to travel to Europe.
Riga
The capital of Latvia is one of the closest European cities to Moscow. By bus, you can get to Riga in 13.5 hours (for some carriers - in 18-20.5 hours, as a transfer is made in St. Petersburg, Pskov or Minsk). A bus ticket will cost at least 3,300 rubles (the price includes the transportation of three pieces of luggage, access to Wi-Fi, and a socket for charging gadgets).
The train to Riga takes a little over 16 hours, but a ticket in a seated car costs 750 rubles cheaper: 2550 rubles (provided that you buy a ticket 60 days before departure). The reserved seat will cost 4143 rubles.
The cheapest air ticket from Moscow to Riga costs 5748 rubles, this price includes only hand luggage. A ticket with luggage and meals on board can be bought for 6315 rubles. Flight time is 1 hour 40 minutes.
Vilnius
Another European city close to the Russian capital is the capital of Lithuania. By train, you can get here in 14 hours and for 3997 rubles (seat car). But, unlike Riga, it is cheaper to get to Vilnius by bus, the ticket for which costs 3520 rubles (the same services are included as in the Riga direction). Travel time varies from 16 to 25 hours.
As for plane tickets, a direct flight lasting an hour and a half will cost 5951 rubles (food, luggage and hand luggage included), a flight with a transfer in Riga (3 hours 19 minutes) - 5223 rubles (only hand luggage is included).
Warsaw
The cheapest way to get from Moscow to Warsaw is by bus: a ticket costs 3,800 rubles. But this option is the longest: travel time is 23 hours.
By train, you can get to the capital of Poland a few hours faster: in 19 hours. The minimum cost of a railway ticket is 7225 rubles (compartment). For this amount, passengers are promised an air-conditioned car.
And the cheapest plane ticket on the route Moscow-Poland costs 5659 rubles. This is a flight with a small transfer in Minsk (only 4 hours 55 minutes), the price includes the transportation of one piece of luggage. The cost of a direct flight is 12,771 rubles (2 hours 15 minutes), only hand luggage is allowed.
Prague
Traveling to Prague is most profitable by plane: a ticket with a transfer in Brussels will cost 4319 rubles (the price includes hand luggage, travel time is 8.5 hours), a direct flight is 5912 rubles (also includes hand luggage, travel time is 8.5 hours). journey - 2 hours 45 minutes).
In second place in terms of cheapness is a bus, a ticket for which costs 5,570 rubles (including luggage). Travel time, however, is many times longer than even by plane with a transfer: 38 hours.
The most expensive option is a train, a ticket in a compartment can be bought for 12 thousand rubles (travel time is 29 hours).
Berlin
It is also more profitable to travel to Berlin by plane, especially if you are light. So, a flight with a transfer in Riga (only 4.5 hours) will cost 5632 rubles (for this amount, hand luggage is allowed). A direct ticket costs 6093 rubles, travel time is 2 hours 50 minutes.
The cost of a bus trip to the capital of Germany is slightly cheaper than a direct ticket: 5950 rubles. But the bus travels at least 35 hours to the destination.
A train from Moscow to Berlin takes 22 hours and costs at least 9,730 rubles for a seat and 10,555 rubles for a compartment.
Vein
The bus from Moscow to Vienna takes 48.5 hours and costs at least 5950 rubles. A plane in this direction is both cheaper and faster: 4.5 hours (flight with a transfer in Riga) for 5409 rubles and 3 hours for 6928 rubles (direct flight). In both cases, baggage transportation is paid separately.
The minimum cost of a railway ticket is 13,169 rubles, and the travel time is 1 day and 3 hours.
Paris
It's hard to imagine, but you can take a bus from Moscow to Paris (the distance between cities is 3,000 kilometers). Such a trip will last 47.5 hours, and will cost 7,800 rubles.
The train ride will take 38 hours and will cost at least 21,700 rubles per ticket (compartment).
The cheapest plane ticket from Moscow to Paris costs 6055 rubles. This is a flight with a transfer in Chisinau (almost 15 hours in total), only hand luggage is allowed. A direct ticket with one piece of luggage will cost 23234 rubles (travel time - 4 hours).
If you have a choice - train or bus, then you should prefer the first. The train is a more comfortable and safe mode of transport than a bus or car. The difference is especially noticeable in Asia and Africa. Even in cases where the inside of a bus looks like an airplane cabin, and a carriage looks like a dirty barracks, it turns out that potholes, traffic jams, accidents and periodic stops for repairs are more common on the broken-down and crowded highways than on the railway.
Traveling on local buses in Asia or Africa, you find yourself in the thick of the locals. Buses are crammed with sacks, trunks, knapsacks, live chickens, sheep and pigs - impressions will last for a long time.
Local buses, like trains, are dirty, overcrowded and smoky. But on the train, at least they didn’t think of installing televisions on which bad copies of cheap American action films and local soap operas are played non-stop around the clock in an incomprehensible language. You remember the usual wagon noise and the sound of wheels in such cases as music.
The differences in are even more noticeable. Car accidents happen daily and no one is surprised anymore, and derailment of a train is front-page news even in India, not to mention Japan. When you travel around Peru by train, the views are breathtaking. And Peruvian highways quickly drive into depression. A narrow strip of bad asphalt winds like a serpentine along the steep desert slopes. But surprisingly regularly encountered crosses on the roadsides do not allow you to tune in to a romantic mood. And there are so many crosses on sharp turns that the metal used for them could be used to build a fairly strong fence - if, of course, it occurred to someone to take up the problem of road safety. In the meantime, on the roads of poor and developing countries, like in the jungle, bad drivers are weeded out by natural selection.
If the train driver falls asleep or is distracted, then in most cases nothing terrible will happen until he wakes up and returns to his direct duties. It is enough for the driver of a bus or car to lose for a few seconds - and the consequences can be catastrophic. There is nothing surprising in the fact that, according to statistics, traveling by train is 100 times safer than traveling by bus.
The railways are laid wisely - along the shortest distance between points and are designed specifically for long trips. And motor roads - before the advent of freeways - were built from one settlement to another, with a stop on the way to the third and fourth. And even now, when the roads are gradually straightening, buses make a detour and enter many settlements that come across on the way to pick up or drop off passengers.
Bus timetables are usually quite approximate. Often the bus leaves only after a sufficient number of passengers have gathered in it. Sometimes, even after departure, the bus circles around the city for a long time, collecting everyone.
The city authorities are actively advocating environmentally friendly transport, offering Muscovites to switch to bicycles. It is not only environmentally friendly, but also good for health. But let's be honest: few of us want to overcome many kilometers of routes on two wheels.
It would be nice to travel part of the way by bike, and part by public transport. But is it convenient? And what is the best way to go - by metro, train, bus?
electric train
pros. The first and last carriages of the new trains have special brackets for attaching a bicycle. The iron "horse" is hung on the wall by the front wheel and does not interfere with anyone. There are no special places for bikes in old trains. You can identify modern electric trains by their color - they are not green or gray-red, they are white with yellow and gray stripes. Travel within the city costs 32 rubles. Bicycle ticket will cost 60 rubles.
Minuses. In old trains, you won’t be able to sit down with a bicycle, and it’s inconvenient to stand in the vestibule. A bicycle either prevents passengers from entering the salon, or closes the transition from car to car.
High fares if driving from the area. For example, a trip from Novodachnaya station (Dolgoprudny) to Fili costs 123 rubles.
Trolleybus or bus
pros. Bicycles can be carried in the cabin free of charge. And you don’t have to climb through the turnstile with him - the driver opens the middle door to enter. A validator hangs there, to which you need to attach a travel card.
Minuses. Almost half of the trolleybuses in Moscow are old models. There is no suitable platform for a bicycle, which will be inconvenient to stand in a cramped cabin. A maximum of one person can stand on a bus with a bicycle. Two iron "horses" will fit with difficulty.
Monorail
pros. If you're lucky, you'll be allowed into the station with a bike.
Minuses. But! According to the rules, you must disassemble it. Remove the front wheel, fenders and put the bike in a special bike bag. Then the iron "horse" turns into oversized luggage, for which you need to buy a separate ticket (60 rubles).
It is inconvenient to ride in a small monorail trailer, a bicycle interferes with everyone. Yes, and wait for the train for a long time. In addition, the route is short - it is easier to ride it on the bike itself.
Tram
pros. The same as the trolleybus and bus. The new trams have a free area in the back! There you can put a whole mountain of bicycles.
Minuses. Even in a tram with a low floor, a bicycle must be dragged on oneself; there are practically no raised stops in Moscow. In old trams (and this is the majority) there is neither a low floor nor a platform. Carriage is great becomes quite inconvenient.
Metro
Pros. In the subway, you can quickly travel through the whole of Moscow without long transfers. I was lucky, and they let me into the station with a bicycle, without even forcing me to remove the wheel!
Minuses. In 99% of cases, the passenger will be forced to disassemble the bike and pack it in the cover even at the entrance to the station.
You need to buy a baggage ticket for a bicycle (60 rubles).
Only in the cars of new trains there are empty places for a wheelchair or a bicycle. No amenities were found in the old trains.
Minibus
There are no pluses.
Minuses. Minibuses will not be allowed to enter the passenger compartment with a bicycle. No one offers to buy a baggage ticket or pack a bike.
What other options are there
Bicycles are allowed free of charge on the riverboats on the lower deck. Lean the bike against the side so that it does not interfere with the passage of passengers.
Carrying a bicycle on the Aeroexpress costs 50 rubles. No transportation rules are stipulated here, and the design of the wagons allows you to put bicycles at the luggage racks.
You can call a special taxi for cyclists with external bindings. The tariff starts from 800 rubles.
1 place. To transport a bicycle, it is best to choose an electric train or tram.
2nd place. Buses and trolleybuses. The platform in the middle and free travel do their job.
3rd place. Get on the subway only out of desperation. Don't forget the bike bag.
4th place. The monorail is not the most suitable transport.
5th place. City bus. Bicycles are not allowed there at all.
Ask people on the street if they like to travel by bus or train, and you'll be surprised how different opinions differ. And not only because people are different and everyone has their own priorities. The preference for one or another method of transportation depends not only on the pros (or cons) of the vehicle, but also on the specific life situation.
When is the best time to travel by train?
When it comes to long distances, more than 60% of potential passengers prefer to travel by train. What is the rationale for the choice?
- More comfortable conditions - you can fully lie down, stretch your legs, walk around, you don’t have to wait for a stop to go to the toilet, etc.
- Accuracy of arrival on schedule - the bus can get stuck in a traffic jam in the summer, in drifts in the winter.
- Convenient scheduling. There are many night flights that allow you not to waste valuable day time on the road, and you can also get a good night's sleep.
- Consider this type of transport safer.
But there are situations when not only the distance determines the choice of transport. Traveling by rail is preferable in the following cases.
- If you have too much luggage, according to the rules, you cannot take more than 2 pieces of luggage per person on the bus.
- Highways are too busy in the right direction, the probability of traffic jams is high. And it's not safe to drive on an overloaded highway.
- The time factor is important. As a rule, rail transport is faster, especially when it comes to fast, branded or modern Sapsan-type electric trains.
- If you are traveling with a child. In the bus, children often get sick, they do not like to sit still for a long time.
- If you are traveling with a company, a coupe is more suitable for communication than a bus cabin, where there is nowhere to retire.
- You have problems with your spine, joints - no matter how comfortable the chair is, your back gets tired in it, and your legs become numb.
Even such a harmless reason as high growth is a serious reason to opt for a train. The distance between the front and rear seats in the bus is usually small, and a tall person really has nowhere to put his legs.
Benefits of traveling by bus
Distances up to 200 km are optimal for traveling by bus. Let's explain why.
If the destination is 150–200 km away from you, then this is an intercity route and soft comfortable cars are “put” on it. On the railway, such distances are served by suburban trains and electric trains. Consequently, the level of comfort on the bus is likely to be higher.
They choose this type of transport for other reasons.
- Easier because they run more often than trains.
- If the route is served by modern cars with all amenities (soft spacious chairs, climate control, dry closet and other benefits of civilization), the distance does not matter.
- Someone chooses this type of transport because there are fewer people in it, there is no need to communicate with neighbors in a compartment, no one encroaches on personal space.
- Not the last role is played by the cost of the ticket. In some cases, it is cheaper to travel by bus, but it happens the other way around.
I want - I eat halva, I want - gingerbread ...
In what cases is there no fundamental difference than to get to the destination? When the distance does not frighten, the class of service is comparable, and age and health do not interfere with travel.
In such situations, choose a vehicle:
- where there are vacancies;
- which departs (arrives) at a convenient time;
- less time is on the way;
- the ticket is cheaper.
The subjective factor is also present. So, some citizens choose a train to feel the romance of traveling under the soothing sound of wheels, to make new acquaintances. The bus is preferred by those who love silence and are not in the mood to communicate with their neighbors.
Vote with the ruble: fare comparison
It is not correct to say unequivocally which mode of transport is cheaper. The cost of a ticket can vary significantly - it depends on the direction, carrier company, type of vehicle, class of service, and other factors.
You can also get there relatively inexpensively by bus - 1,100 rubles - 11.5 hours on the road; by train - 919 rubles for a seated ticket - 9.5 hours on the way.
More comfortable buses will cost 1,500–1,600 rubles, the fastest of them takes 10 hours. For about the same amount, you can get a ticket for the reserved seat carriage of the fast train Moscow - St. Petersburg (1,559 rubles) and the compartment of the trains "Youth" (1,094 rubles), "Smena A. Betancourt" (1,367 rubles). Get there faster - in about 8 hours. The rest of the trains are more expensive, approximately from 2,300 rubles for a compartment ticket.
