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Our city has one company related to transportation (tram and bus). You can always choose taxis or Uber rides, but CTP („Compania de Transport Public”, the company’s name) is cheaper for students.

 

You can buy a ticket or a monthly subscription, through the app 24pay by downloading it Google Play or App Store, for free. Once you downloaded the app, open it and register it with a valid credit card.

But before buying a ticket it might be easier to change the language first, so go to „Acasă” (Home/Main menu) then to „Setări” (Settings) then „Limba” (Language) and there you can pick either Romanian or English. Then, go to „Transport public”, select „Iași” then „Cumpără bilet” (buy a ticket) or “Cumpără abonament” (Buy subscription). Choose the ticket or the type of subscription you want 

  • Bilet 120 minute = 1 ticket, for 120minutes;​

  • Abonament unic zona 1 – 7 zile = Subscription for 7 days;

  • Abonament unic zona 1 – 30 de zile= 30 days subscription.

Tap on „Cumpăr” (Buy) and you will get a confirmation message for your transaction. Now, you can verify your ticket/subscription and its availability in the “Portofel” section = Wallet.

The subscription for 30 days for a student should be around 6-16 lei (1,20-3,20 euros), more or less depending on the university, and is valid both for tram and bus rides. 

Sometimes, while taking a ride to Uni or another place, there will be on the bus or in the tram a Ticket inspector (“Controlor” in Romanian”). He/She will ask you for the ticket and you just have to show him/her your valid ticket/subscription in the 24pay app. He/She will scan the QR code and you’re good to go. So, always, but ALWAYS try to have the phone charged. If you can’t show him/her the valid ticket/subscription, you will be charged a 50 lei fine (10 euros) and you have to pay it right at that moment. If you refuse that, you’ll be charged a 150 lei fine  (30 euros) and you can pay it later, but e păcat! (=such a pity!).

 

TICKET KIOSKS & VENDING MACHINES

These little ticket kiosks & vending machines are almost near every big station. You’ll find one near Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, in Copou, a little bit up-hill the Faculty of Letters and near the Faculty of Chemistry. There is one near Banca Transilvania, in Tudor Vladimirescu, near the Gheorghe Asachi Technical University’s student dorms, which is also close to Iulius Mall.

There you can buy paper tickets. The full price for a ticket is 3 lei, as I told you for the Airport bus, but if you show the student identity card, it will be 1,5 lei (almost 30 cents). When you enter the bus, you have to validate this ticket. On the bus, there are several validation machines (yellow or orange sometimes) and you will have to insert your ticket in there. The machine will make a sound and it will print on the back of your ticket a code. If the Ticket inspector (Controlorul) comes, you show it to him already validated. If you don’t validate it, the fine will be the same as in the case mentioned in the section above (read there).

How to use the ticket vending machines: 

Step 1: Choose the kind of ticket you want, in this case, the student ticket (usually the button is yellow and it says “Bilet student - 1,5 lei” - student ticket + price).

Step 2: Insert the bill into the slot.

Step 3: Pick up your ticket and you are good to go.

 

*The ticket and subscription are valid for both trams and buses

**Remember, one ticket is valid for 120 minutes – so if you have to change buses to arrive somewhere, make sure you make it there in this period of time, otherwise, you have to validate another ticket.

*** It’s also the same case if you buy just a contactless ticket or one with the 24pay App. 

 


The main Routes for tram and bus in Iasi

 

As we talked above, you will find in Iasi trams and buses. From Copou hill and mainly from the “Universitate” Station you can take the trams 1, 9, 13 and the 36 bus to Gara Iasi (Iasi Train Station) – near the train station there’s also a McDonald’s. 

From “Universitate” to “Tudor Vladimirescu” Station, which is near the technical university’s student dorms (T dorms) you can take tram 1,13 (this is temporary due to some renewal works, usually it's the tram number 8) or the bus 42, that also stops in “Independence Square”, near UMF ( Gr.T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy).

From “Universitate” in Copou to “ Gr.T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy” you have to take the trams 9, 13, 8 and you’ll arrive in Piata Unirii (Union Square), then you’ll have to walk 10 mins in order to get right at the University.

The buses 43, 43c, 46 go from Tudor Vladimirescu to Tg. Cucu, Independence Square and Blocuri Pacurari Station (which is at around 5-8 mins-walking, away from the Al.I.Cuza University.) 

The tram 7 goes from Tudor Vladimirescu to the Train Station.

20 and 43c can go to Carrefour Era, which is actually a commercial complex with Carrefour, Decathlon, JYSK and other shops; it is actually outside Iasi.

From “Universitate” station in Copou to Palas Mall you can take the 9 tram (and you have to stop at “Palatul Culturii” Station, or the bus 28, but you have to stop at “Elena Doamna” Station – from both of these stations you will have to walk like 8-10 minutes in order to get to the mall. 

*there is an app which will help you find all the transportation means that can get you around Iasi. It is called Moovit (you can download it for free, from App Store/Google Play), you just have to insert your location and the destination and it will help you get wherever you want to be (it will show you all the buses/trams, the stations (the nearest ones), the duration of your ride when the bus/tram comes to the station etc). Google maps might also do the job for you, but it's not as well updated as Moovit (some busses, for example, are missing) 

**if you want to check all the routes you can use the CTP official website. You can either write the starting point and arrival point or just click on the number of the tram/ bus and access a map that will show you all the stops and even download the map from here (but beware, as the map is not updated with the temporary changes).