Cars, buses and taxis

Sofia had choking traffic, with few striped lanes or traffic aids. The underground Metro helped but was still several years away from completion. So we were advised not to rent a car but to take taxis or bus.

 











Each day at the nearest bus stop, throngs of students crowded onto Bus #280 to Sofia University downtown or other stops en route. We were told to pay the driver 1 lev each and get a ticket on the bus. On our very first trip, the driver said he had no tickets.  But just before we got off, an officer got on and fined us 20-levas. After that, even though we never saw another officer again, we bought tickets in advance at a news stand near the bus stop.  Another time, we were "taken for a ride" for 49 leva instead of the usual 7 to 10 leva (or $5.50 to $8. One leva was worth 80 cents.)  After that, we learned to take only the cabs marked "OK" with the phone # "973-2121" on the side. Travel was easy if you just knew what to do.