Taking the Tram (part I)

Perm has a number of tram lines within the city.  When we were there in late 2010, the fare was 12 rubles (US $0.30) per trip.  It looked like they sold multi-trip tickets and transfers, but since we barely spoke any Russian, we simply paid cash to the conductor on the tram.

One very important tip is to keep your small change/bills and use them to pay on the tram. The conductor on the tram (most of them were older ladies, a.k.a. ba-bush-ka's) do not like it if you gave them a big note (like a 100 ruble or larger). The conductors didn't appear to speak English, but I could tell she was giving the payee a piece of her mind when she had to break big bills.

Locating the tram stops and boarding was an interesting exercise.  We simply asking at our hotel, they explained about paying the conductor, but cautioned us about walking out into the street to catch the tram.  We finally found a tram stop and watched a group board before we figured out the right way to get on a tram and where.  In the main city center the tram stops are clearly marked and easy to find even for non-Russian speakers.  The process was a bit more challenging  in other parts of the city especially near the Hilton Garden hotel.  The trams were crowded during rush hour, but off hours they weren't that bad.

Tram 11 goes from the Hilton through downtown and then ends next to the artillery muesum.  At times the tram track is very rough when going through the woods, but most of the ride in the middle of city streets which isn't much smoother.  There are english language toursist maps availbale in Perm and the tram routes and numbers indicated on them. 

Some of the trams are modern, and this one is an advertisement for the local professional hockey team.

The Tram in the background is waiting for the traffic light to change before turning onto the street in front.    The Trams in Perm reminded me a lot of travelling around Philadelphia as a child in the early 70s.