Word of the Week: Gypsy Cab

Gypsy Cab: n. 1.English term used to describe an ordinary car that is used as a makeshift taxi; 2. Russian hitchhiking; 3. Slang for any car in Russia.

In Russia, any car can function as a taxi at any given moment. This occurs because a) legitimate taxi cabs are insanely expensive; b) public transportation stops around 10:00 PM; c) the majority of Russian citizens still don’t have cars. Unlike American hitchhiking, which I generally think of as a risky method for traveling around the entire country, gypsy cabs are frequently used to get around town, most often as a quick way to get home when the rains starts falling and you are without an umbrella.

There is a whole system of appropriate behavior from start to finish. To get a gypsy cab, you stand on any major street and hold out your hand, just like you were hailing a normal taxi. When a car pulls over, you open the passenger door, lean in, and tell the driver where you want to go. He might say no at this point or he might offer you a price. The cost of the ride is always determined before you enter the car—you always pay only when you have reached your destination. After the price has been set, the group enters the car and you’re off.

After avoiding gypsy cabs for the entirety of my first stay in Russia, I spent my first couple trips hyperventilating the entire ride. When I got to Ekaterinburg, however, I realized that it is one of the primary means of transportation. I also learned that there are a few rules of conduct that ensure a safe and enjoyable ride:

1. Never travel alone.

2. Never travel without a Russian and/or someone whose Russian can pass for a native speaker’s.

3. If you don’t fall into either of those two groups, don’t speak while you are in the car. [This is just a tried and true method of ensuring that you don’t the get “foreigner tax” attached to your price].

A few weeks ago Jen, Josefina, Midore, and I took a gypsy cab home from a wi-fi restaurant. We had explained to Midore what we were going to do, but evidently she didn’t quite understand, because when we got in the car, her eyes opened up as large as saucers and she gripped my arm the whole way home. When we finally got out at our dorm, she looked at us and said “So how do you know that man????”.

The best gypsy cab ride that I have had to date was back from the market with Defri, Midore, Artyem, and Alya. We ended up with an ancient Russian beetle [the smallest, crappiest kind of Russian car around] with four people scrunched into the back seat. I was sitting behind the driver seat and when our driver sat down, I swear the back of his seat was resting against my chest. As we drove, the whole car was shaking. Midore and I were unsuccessfully trying to hide to our laughter when I noticed that the car was shaking even more than normal and slowing down. I thought the whole car was going to start falling apart piece by piece, but no, we had merely ran out of gas. In the middle of a four-lane street, the driver jumped out, filled the tank with his emergency can, and off we went.

That concludes the first word-a-week entry. Questions on usage and origins are welcomed : )