Anyone who has encountered a snarling driver behind the wheel of a bus in a major U.S. city would appreciate the transit system here in Azerbaijan. If you want a ride, you can pretty much flag down the bus, and it will stop for you where you are. It will probably be packed with people standing in the aisle. No worries, you can get on and off using one of the back doors. Just say "Saxla" when you want to get off.. and the bus stops.
If the aisle is too packed for you to make your way to the front to pay, it's no problem. You just get out, walk up to the front door, and hand your bus fare (20 qepik) to whoever is standing there. He or she will hand it to the driver for you! If you don't have change, it's not a problem. The person standing next to the driver will hand him your 5 manat bill for example, and hand you your change back! It's all an understood honor system, that seems to work for everyone.
