Odessa public transport

flea market odessa street vendors
Flea market Odessa
13.07.2018
odessa airport to city center
Odessa Airport transfer
28.12.2018

Is there city cards for transport in Odessa?

First of all, there are no city cards for any Odessa public transport, only cash payment. You simply pay required cash for travel directly to the driver, or conductor. Conductor are only in trams and sometimes in trolley buses. Unlike other Ukraine cities, in Odessa people pay when get off the bus, and not vice versa.

odessa public transport

Public transport stop sign

City transport stop signs

Throughout the city, special blue signs indicate a public transport stop. Such signs contain brief information, especially name of the stop. Name usually matches the street, but not always. In addition, signs indicates beginning of the movement, time interval between vehicles, and the end of work. Also, signs show route numbers that stop here. However, almost always this information has little to do with the real work of transport. Especially you should not rely on time indicated there. This happens because the city authorities rarely update them, so the signs are pretty useless. Finally, much more convenient to track the movement of urban transport online. How to do this, check out below.

Main Odessa public transport

Odessa public transport devides on three groups:

  • Tram
  • Trolley-buses
  • Marshrutka (yellow buses)

All this kind of transport are very cheap and available for everyone. For example, today – 2021, bus fare is $0.25. Despite that it’s amazingly cheap, there are couple of problem with usual transport, that better to know in advance.

  • First – public transport is usual places for pickpocketing, especially when it full of people. Also you should remember, that usual driver or conductor of tram doesn’t know english or any other language. So you have to know exactly where your station or ask people around.
  • Second – usualy transport in Odessa is not comfortable, dusty in summer and has no air conditioning. Ectually any kind of city transport is old and very bad. That is why there is no practical purpose for using it. Only if you need to save money or just like to feel the locals life.
Odessa public transport

New trolleybus is only modern transport

Online tracking system of public transport

Since 2018 everybody can track online city transport (all kinds except bus) and even download free app on phone. It’s very useful, because if somewhere happens an accident related to electricity and all trolley buses stopped, you will stand in vain at the bus stop waiting for transport. That why you need only open app or website and get to know where is nearest trolley from you. Here’s a step by step guide:

  • First – open transport website
  • Second – select tab, for example – trolleys
  • Third – choose required route, for instance №14 (to airport)
  • Fourthly – on opened Odessa public transport map below will appear cars on a route with little arrows, which indicate direction of moving
odessa public transport

Online tracking of Odessa public transport

What expect from Odessa trams

Probably the most uncomfortable kind of city transport. Nearly always very crowded, noisy and smelly. Better not use it especialy near market place or train station. On such routes are many pickpocket. Totally useless when you need to get old city. By trams it’s easy to escape traffic jams, despite that they are relatively slow. So, use it only for fun, otherwise better to avoid.

What to see in Odessa? – try to visit largest underground labyrinth!

Most useful trams for tourists

  • №5 – connects number of places, useful for tourists, such as: central bus station, train station, Privoz market, French boulevard, 10 April square and final stop – Arcadia zone. Usually this tram is very slow extremely crowded, especially in summer, because it passes near coast line. Also this route is regular place for pickpocket. So, having not big need for using it, better to avoid.
  • №18 – this tram starts not far from train station and goes near long line of city beaches – Big Fountain. Beaches aline this tram route, is less known amid tourists, but quite popular amid locals. That is why the tram also very crowded in summer time. Its final stop is 16 station of Big Fountain – central beach for this part of Odessa.
odessa public transport options

Odessa public transport – night train

Most useful trolleybuses for tourists

  • №1 – newly opened small route only around old city. The route connects three squares: Lva Tolstogo, Cathedral and Train station square (Privokzalnaya). Also №1 trolley passes along two main streets of city center: Pushkinskaya and Rishelievskaya.
  • №5 – very rare trolleybus passing through old part of Odessa. It connects old center with Arcadia zone. Because of its route, №5 trolley is almost never full of people. It passes closer to train station, Shevchenko avenue, 10 April square and final stop is Arcadia resort. The only problem is that this trolleybus is quite rare, so sometimes it takes a long time to wait. This trolley bus is mainly used to get to city beach, so in summer, there are more cars on a route than in winter.
  • №9 – most convenient trolleybus within old center with final stop 2 blocks from Odessa Opera House and Deribasovskaya street. Also it passes by Shevchenko avenue and 10 April square – both point are very close to coast line. This trolley bus is widely used by locals, so it is often full of people. Also it passes by two big city parks – Shevchenko park and Victory park.
  • №7 – this trolley bus connects nearly half of Odessa. The main points in old city, that №7 trolley bus passes is – Cathedral square, Rishelievskaya street and train station. Also it passes through Shevchenko street and 10 April square.
  • №10 – there is a bus stop at the bottom of Potemkin stairs, near Marine station. From there one can get through Rishelievskaya street right to Odessa train station by this trolley bus.
  • №14 – special trolleybus from train station to airport. Planning your trip to Odessa Ukraine, check out separate page about how to get from airport to city center. Keep in mind that it works from 05:26 am until 20:18 pm. But catching the last one on train station right at 20:18 is useless.
public transport odessa

Trolleybus №14 to Odessa airport

What expect from Odessa trolley-buses

This is a most modern public transport in the city. Some of trolley-buses are quite new and comfortable, even with Wi-Fi, but it usually don’t work. Also many of trolley buses are old soviet cars of bad condition. Their main advantage is that they pass through old city. In addition, one can easily get in trolley-bus with luggage, unlike marshrutka. Of course, when something happen with electricity, they stop working.

public transport odessa ukraine

New Odessa trolleybuses

Marshrutka (bus)

Most popular Odessa transport amid locals, but only because there are no any options. Marshrutka – name, that locals call little yellow busses that going all over the city. They are small and uncomfortable, extremely crowded in morning or evening and usualy with rude drivers. Using marshrutka you can get in every part of Odessa. Also you can catch them everywhere, not nessesary looking for a station. Check out all Odessa public transport map of buses for 2019.

Most useful bus for tourists

  • №117 – this route connects Odessa International Airport and Odessa old city. Also this bus passes train station, Cathedral square, Ekaterininskaya and Deribasovskaya street. Using bus №117 is quite easy to get to city center after arrival, unless you have too much luggage.
  • №185 – this bus starts from Cathedral square. Through old center and Shevchenko Avenue it passes to 10 April square and coastal line of Big Fountain. Last stop the bus make near tourist point of interest – WW2 memorial complex.
  • №146 – quite convenient marshrutka that cover whole city. This route connects two big districts – Tairova and Kotovskogo. Also bus passing 10 April square, Shevchenko Avenue, Shevchenko park, Cathedral square, Deribasovskaya street, City Garden and museum of Fine Arts.
Odessa public transport

Usual ukrainian marshrutka

Odessa public transport. Main transport interchange

There are couple points within old part of Odessa, where you can take city transport to any city district:

  • Train station (see on map) – near main train station passes lot of busses in both direction: to city centre and to sleeping quarters. Also here is the last station of trolley-bus from airport.
  • Cathedral square (see on map) – point of passing many Odessa transport routes that connects old centre with others parts of the city. Also here a few end station of some transport.
  • Shevchenko Avenue (Prospect Shevchenko) (see on map)- big street that leads to Arcadia zone from city centre. Place of dozen busses and trolleybuses to everywhere.