Bus routes in Baranavichy connect dormitory and cottage areas with the center of the city, industrial enterprises, university facilities, markets and railway and bus stations, making the biggest part of carriage of passengers. But this fact doesn’t interfere with the existence of the fixed-run taxis, that belong to the monopolist of the bus carriage (Bus Pak No. 2) and several private carriers.

The history of the fixed-run taxis in Baranavichy began in 1970, when the minibus “Latvia” was tested on the city routes; 10 days it was running on the one route, then on the other. On the May,5 1982 the traffic of fixed-run taxis began in the city again on the route No. 1: “Palyeski railway station — Tratsiaki”, the fare was 20 kopecks. This route was operated by the RAF minibuses belonging to the taxi company. Until the USSR breakdown there were eight fixed-run taxi routes in the city. In the change of the 80th to the 90th the minibuses disappeared from the city streets. The second attempt was made in the middle of the 90th, when two Isuzu Midi minibuses started running on the “eights” bus route. Unfortunately the attempt failed. Only in the end of the 90th the fixed-run taxis started slowly appearing on the streets of Baranavichy.

The vehicles are the minibuses Ford Transit of past generations, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Mercedes-Benz T1, Mercedes-Benz O309, Peugeot Boxer AT, ZiL Bychok, Volkswagen LT35. Some routes are operated even by the buses PAZ 672M, PAZ 32053-07, PAZ 4234 and MAZ 256. But the most mass minibus and the distinctive symbol of fixed-run taxi in Baranavichy is yellow “Gazelle”.

The fare, which is not much bigger than the fare in the city bus, and the speed — this two factors are often convincing for the passengers. The bad technical state of some minibuses, the body of which startle irregularities, and the low head — this two shortcomings are compensated by the comparative speed. There are no mass violations of the road lows; the lack of traffic jam and the unhurried speed of the traffic at the narrow streets of Baranavichy don’t provoke the drivers. But the counting of the odd money and giving the tickets during the moving is the usual thing.

Some years ago Bus Park No. 2 didn’t want to give up such good part of carrying of passengers by minibuses for private entrepreneurs, which began gradually filling in the streets with their minibuses, and bought some minibuses “Gazelle”. This was well-timed decision. In the very beginning the interesting marketing move — if the passenger had the month bus ticket the fare for him in the minibus of Bus Park No. 2 was the half of the normal fare. Now even with the normal fare the passengers don’t differ the fixed-run taxi and travel by the private and by those from Bus Park No. 2. Moreover, beginning from 2006 the Bus Park No. 2 uses on some its routes not usual minibuses. It uses the buses PAZ 4234 and MAZ 256.

There is no clear division of the routes between Bus Park No. 2 and the private carriers. The difference is only one. The Bus Park No. 2 being the municipal carrier tries to achieve the social aims, often with the less profit, by operating the routes, which connect medical facilities (the dispensary on the Slonim highway) and the areas with no bus routes (the area of Fyestivalnaya street, the suburban cottage area near the autodrome). The private entrepreneurs are guided by the rules of the market economy and operate the most busy and profitable routes. During one of the session of the city executive committee in 2007 was said, that during two years the tenders for the organization of carrying of passengers on the new routes didn’t interested the private carriers.

Comparing Baranavichy with the other cities of the country one can say, that the fixed-run taxi in our city isn’t so widespreaded as, for example, in Brest (to comare: in 2007 there were 396 fixed-run taxi minibuses in Brest, when in Baranavichy there were only 23 of them). The first reason, which comes to the head is stabilized and sure service of the city buses even in the worst moments of the post-soviet transformation of the country. But the fixed-run taxis today have its passengers, offering the speed and convenience. They harmoniously complement the bus routes, making the transport system of the city more reliable and ensuring the passengers in timely reaching the destination.