"An individual route to each driver!" is the new slogan of Moscow public transport strategy. The idea is to assign an individual route to a driver. 80 per cent of private transportation companies have their contracts expire in 2013, hence the new ideas being aired at the Moscow City government.

      The final goal is to gradually get rid of passenger vans that are currently being used by about 30 per cent of travellers (around 1,5mln people) per day. It is tempting to get the hold of the revenue, but observers also remind the municipal powers of such features of passenger vans, as affordability, speedier ride, and - perhaps, most importantly - the ability to stop just about anywhere legally possible, and not just at designated bus stops.

      The city government is keen to maintain the competition and to continue using the private vans to transport people in Moscow. But they underline that the private drivers will now have to pass strict tests to establish the degree of their professionalism.

      Currently 70 private companies serve 700 routes throughout Moscow. Partly due to their size and moving capabilities the vans occasionally become a part of the road accidents, sometimes with severe casualties among passengers. Nonetheless people continue finding passenger vans very comfortable. The city government acknowledge that these private drivers do alleviate the city budget of extra expenditure.

      For tips on using public transport in Moscow, read this.