Bus service in Tbilisi

Public buses in Tbilisi offer a convenient and affordable way to explore the Georgian capital. A standard fare is 1 GEL, which covers a 90-minute travel window when paid using a Metromoney card or in cash via the ticketing machine located at the entrance of each bus. If you’re paying in cash, it’s best to have exact change, as the machine does not return any.

Tbilisi’s buses are easy to spot — they are painted either yellow or blue and make stops exclusively at designated bus stations, all of which are equipped with electronic displays showing the estimated arrival times of the next buses.

Buses operate daily from 6:00 AM until 8:00 PM, with reliable service across the city’s urban landscape. Stop announcements are made in Georgian, and only occasionally are they repeated in English. Some buses are also fitted with digital displays that show the current route and the name of the upcoming stop — a handy feature for tourists and first-time visitors.

As mentioned earlier, the Tbilisi Transport Company oversees the entire bus network. Their official website — ttc.com.ge — offers an English-language interface, making it user-friendly for international travelers. Here, you can access:

• Route details and schedules for every bus line

• Real-time arrival information through the “Stop Board Info” feature

• Live bus tracking with the “Bus in Real Time” tool

• A Journey Planner, which allows users to enter start and end points and receive customized public transport recommendations

Each bus stop has a unique identification number. If you send an SMS with this number to 93344, you’ll receive a reply with the estimated arrival time of the next bus serving that stop.

In addition to the city’s fleet of municipal buses, yellow minibuses — or marshrutkas — provide an essential transport option for locals and visitors alike. These compact passenger vans, typically seating 16 to 18 passengers, are a familiar sight on Tbilisi’s roads. Most of the newer vehicles are equipped with air conditioning, ensuring a more comfortable ride, especially during the hot summer months.

The fare is 1 GEL per ride, and passengers can pay either with the Metromoney card or in cash directly upon boarding.

Operating hours for marshrutkas usually span from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM, although schedules may vary slightly depending on the specific route. Unlike city buses or the metro, minibuses stop not only at official bus stations but also upon request, allowing passengers to hop off wherever it’s safe and convenient — a flexibility that makes them especially popular for navigating smaller streets and neighborhoods.

The marshrutka network in Tbilisi is managed separately by Tbilisi Minibus LLC (“Tbilisi Microbuses”). The company’s website — tm.ge — features an interactive route planner, designed to help users build their journey by selecting their starting point and destination. Simply click on both locations with your mouse. It’s recommended to select a wider search radius (around 300 meters) for more accurate results, as marshrutka routes can be more flexible than standard bus lines.

Detailed route information for each marshrutka — including stop maps, operating hours, and fare details — can be found under the Route Scheme tab on the website. This tool is particularly useful for visitors trying to decipher the city’s more complex or lesser-known transport paths.