Comprehensive Guide to Public Transport in Uzbekistan

Public transport in Uzbekistan is surprisingly efficient between major cities thanks to a modern train network and improving bus services. However, traveling to remote off-the-beaten-path areas can be more complicated, as it requires shared taxis and minibuses.

We had quite a hard time figuring out transportation options. Therefore, I put together this comprehensive guide to explain how to use public transport in Uzbekistan, including trains, shared taxis, buses and city transport in major cities – Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara.

For my ready made itinerary, as well as tips on visas, money, accommodation and other ideas, check out my comprehensive Uzbekistan travel guide. 

Trains in Uzbekistan

Trains are the best mode of transportation between the cities.

Afrosiyob High-Speed Train in Uzbekistan

Fast and very convenient Afrosyiob (sometimes spelled Afrosiab) trains run from Tashkent to Samarkand and Bukhara. You absolutely must purchase the high speed train tickets in advance online, as soon as they open for booking – 60 days before your travel if purchasing on the official website and even earlier, if purchasing on 12Go (detailed information on this later). Thus advance booking is essential, especially for popular times of the day and for weekends.

Sharq and Sleeper Trains in Uzbekistan

There are also slower trains running across the country. Sharq trains are slower day trains, while Sleeper trains run overnight. If you miss out on Afrosyiob train tickets, Sharq trains will be your option. Plus, these slower trains are the only options to Khiva at this time. They are planning to introduce fast trains but there’s still no confirmed launch date. These trains also run to fergana valley – Kokand, Andijon, etc.

The slow train tickets don’t sell out as fast as the high speed ones, but I still recommend purchasing them in advance.

How to Get Uzbekistan Train Tickets

Purchasing Uzbekistan Train Tickets through the Official Website

The train tickets can be bought on the official website of the Uzbek railways. The website is slow and confusing. It also defaults to Cyrillic constantly and if you don’t know how to read Cyrillic, it would be difficult. I did manage to get our tickets in the end, but it was a lot of hassle.

If you don’t manage to get them 60 days ahead, keep checking daily. They sometimes release more tickets, but there’s no scheduled release times. So you might be lucky to find some tickets, just can’t be sure of it.

The slower trains can be purchased closer to your travel date. They also become available at variable times.

Officially, you can book the tickets on the official website using Visa or Mastercard. However, when I booked, I tried my MasterCard several times and it didn’t work. So I had to use my Visa card. So try another option, if one doesn’t work.

You will be getting an e-ticket, which you should be able to use directly, without obtaining a hard copy. However, double check to make sure that it has a QR code, which is what you will be using.

Purchasing Uzbekistan Train Tickets through 12Go

If you have difficulty with the official website whether in terms of its interface or payment glitches, you may prefer to use third party website – 12Go.

The website directly claims that these tickets can only be purchased over 1464 hours (61 days) before the trip. If less than 60 days are left before your trip, you will highly likely not see the option to purchase the tickets any more.

On the other hand, the window is very narrow. If you look tickets 70 days in advance, they are not yet available. So I recommend to purchase them 61-62 days before your trip.

Purchasing the slow train tickets – Sharq and Sleeper – is much easier. You will see availability likely even a few days before your trip.

Purchasing Uzbekistan Train Tickets at the Train Stations.

While buying train tickets in person is cheaper than online, for tourists, this is not the best option, given that high speed trains get booked early. Once you get to the country, they will highly likely no longer be available for your travel dates. Unless you are traveling in low season and taking slow Sleeper trains, I absolutely don’t recommend waiting till you arrive.

Train Stations in Uzbekistan

The train station in the country are quite convenient. They are clean and easy to use.

The train stations have luggage storage units, which were very handy for us. At the Tashkent station the luggage storage is located in the same part, as the ticket office. You will have to go downstairs. It was safe to store our luggage there. There was a person standing there, he checked our passports and we got a number.

Buses and Mini Buses (Marshutkas) in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan has a small network of intercity buses. We haven’t used them, as they are far less convenient than trains and they hardly cover the areas trains don’t. Check out the tickets and schedules for these buses on the Avtoticket website.

Other than that, the only public transport between the cities includes mini-buses and shared taxis.

Shared Taxis in Uzbekistan

The shared taxis are the main mode of transportation in the locations, which are not covered by trains or buses. You can find them at the major “bus stations”.

Tips for taking Uzbekistan Mini Buses and Shared Taxis

I don’t suggest to go for shared taxis and even more for mini buses, if your destination is served by trains. But everywhere else, you don’t have another viable option than this.

The shared taxis and mini buses normally wait for passengers at certain locations, mostly called bus stations. To get to these, you can either take shared city taxes or buses, depending which city you are in. Below is the list of such stations, where mini buses and shared taxis go from.

Mini buses usually wait for the car to be full or almost full before they go. The prices for these are fixed, however, as a foreigner they may just tell you a higher price.

Talking to the drivers of shared taxis can also be a bit of a hassle, particularly, when you don’t speak Uzbek or Russian. Compare prices with several drivers before agreeing. Keep in mind, that the prices fluctuate, given the exchange rates and inflation. However, they should not be more per person than the prices of mini buses. Ask your hotel or city taxi drivers, approximately how much a seat in a shared taxi should be, in order not to be ripped off. Also ask the prices with several drivers, before you find the one, who will tell you the acceptable price.

Shared Taxi and Mini Bus Stations by City

We actually found this information out by different means. Information online is very limited. We asked hotels and taxi drivers – practically anyone we could – to figure out what works. Please, still double check this before heading there.

Bukhara – shared taxis leave for Tashkent or Samarkand from Northern Bus Station. To go to Urgench and Khiva from Bukhara by shared taxi, you should go to Karvon Bazaar. The Sharq stand is for Shahrisabz and Qarshi.

Samarkand – Ulugbek stop for taxis to Tashkent is located nearby the observatory. From here, you can also get shared taxis to Bukhara, but the main station for this would be Navoi, which is out of the city. Kaftarxona bus station is used for shared taxis to Tajik border for Panjakent.

Tashkent – Kuyluk bazaar for shared taxis to the Tajik border at Oybek. There is a direct bus to Khujand though, which takes 5 hours. You buy ticket for it at the Tashkent bus station (I have read that the ticket booths don’t work on weekends and in the late evenings), and starts at the stop nearby, next to the Olmazar metro stop.

Hiring Private Drivers

We have hired private drivers on several occasions during our visit to Uzbekistan, when we were traveling in the outskirts of the major cities and didn’t want the hassle of going to the shared taxi stations and negotiating with them. There are several options for finding them.

I prefer to book the private drivers in advance, rather than haggle on the spot. You can book a private tour using GetYourGuide or Viator. These websites will make things more convenient for you, as the prices will be fixed and you can book in advance without losing time after you arrive.

You can also ask your hotel to order you a taxi and negotiate good price for you. We found that some hotels were helpful with this, although others tried to rip us off. So definitely know approximate prices to make sure you are getting a good rate.

Transport Within Cities

Public Transport in Tashkent

Tashkent has a developed transport network, with metro and bus system. You won’t have problems getting to all spots by one of those. Do take metro at least once, as some of the stations are really beautiful.

But if you will plan to take a taxi, Mytaxi and Yandex app works in this city. This way, you won’t have to haggle with the driver.

How to get from the Tashkent airport to the train station and city center:

• Buses #62, 69 and 46 go from the airport to the train station. Bus #46 will get you to the city center. Bus station is located on the road past the car park. We took a bus and it was quite convenient and hassle free.
• you can use ride hailing apps – mytaxi or Yandex – to avoid haggling with taxi drivers.
• You can also get a taxi. Taxi drivers can be a headache in Uzbekistan though. They will insist on far higher price than usual, as you are a foreigner. Don’t go with the taxi driver that will rush to you, as soon as you get out of the airport. If you can, go on the road just in front of the station and find a taxi there.
• Easiest option is to order the transfer from the airport. This however is much more expensive.

Recently I found this great resource of buses, minibuses and trains from/to Tashkent. You can consult it for updated information on your routes.

See my full Tashkent travel guide for what to see and how long to stay.

Public Transport in Samarkand

You can just walk among some of the major sites, however, some will require transportation.

Samarkand has a bus network, however, they are inconvenient. Same goes for the mini buses. We didn’t figure out the schedule and didn’t want to wait for them for ages.

The main mode of transportation inside the city are the yellow taxis. These taxis are mostly used as shared taxis. I suggest to stop the taxis, which already have passengers to avoid any confusion that you want a shared option and not the full taxi. Don’t forget that you should definitely negotiate the price in advance.

Alternatively, you can use Mytaxi or Yandex.

From Samarkand Train Station to the City Center

• Tram #2 is the best option from the Samarkand train station to Registan.
• Buses aren’t the best option. M1 and M5 go closer to the city center, but it’s not really walkable from there.
• If you are arriving late at night, buses won’t be an option – they stop running at 10pm. As usual catching a taxi can be a hassle, so you can use a ride hailing app.
• You can also ask your hotel to send you a pickup. This is what we did in Samarkand, when we arrived late in the evening.

This resource on Wikiroutes is great for Samarkand transport.

Here’s my Samarkand itinerary with suggested walking routes.

Public Transport in Bukhara

Bukhara also has the shared taxis and mini buses. However, we only needed to take transport from the train station and when we went outside the city to Chor Bakr and other sites. The main sites inside the old city are really close to each other and you can simply walk among them.

From Bukhara Train Station to the City Center

The train station Bukhara 1 you will be arriving at and leaving from is outside the city – in Kagan. The other train station you will see on maps is an old one and most trains don’t go there nowadays:

• There are mini buses that run to the city center, however, they have limited working hours during the day. Late in the evening or early morning you won’t have this option and will need to get a taxi.
• You can use one of the ride hailing apps – Mytaxi or Yandex.
• Haggling with the taxi drivers at the entrance is terrible. They practically ganged on us when we wanted to take a taxi to the city and we had to pay double the price, because we didn’t book in advance and had little other options at the time.
• You can also ask your hotel to send a pickup. Ours didn’t provide it unfortunately though.

Taxis in Uzbekistan Cities

When stopping a taxi on the streets or hopping into one at a train station or airport, you will first need to negotiate the rate with the driver. This can be a difficult task and they will most certainly try to rip you off.

An easier option is use a taxi app. Mytaxi app is one of the options that is available, it’s easy to register, although not as popular as Yandex and you will need to possibly wait longer. While I personally don’t use Yandex, it’s the most widely available option.

See Also

Best Things to Do in Tashkent: 1-Day Travel Guide

Planning a trip to Tashkent? Discover the best things to do in one day, including metro stations, Hazrati Imam complex, cafes, hotels, and travel tips.

Uzbekistan Travel Guide: Essential Tips for Planning Your Trip

Uzbekistan travel guide with visa tips, transport, safety, money advice and a 10-day itinerary across Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva.

Hello I am Ket,

A traveler, planner, and sweet tooth behind Hit the Road Ket.

Travel isn’t just my passion – it’s a lifeline for my mental health. Having lived in three cities and explored 60 countries (and counting!), I created this blog to share my experiences, smart tips, and itinerary advice with fellow travel lovers.

I’m all about making the most of limited time, finding scenic routes, and turning every trip into something memorable – coffee in hand, of course.