Buses in Tula, there one of the most important forms of transport.
Buses might be seen as the least common denominator of Russian urban transit: they are used in most cities in secondary roles, but particularly in cities lacking extensive metro, tram, and trolleybus networks. Indeed, cities served by such networks numbered over 2000 in 1978, compared to only 111 with tram service. (White 6) Nevertheless, while one relatively rarely sees conventional buses in the center of Moscow, there are some 8000 in service (outnumbering trolleybuses 4:1 and trams nearly 7:1), traveling to the outskirts of the city and other regions not well served by other networks. (Bakulin 138, 140) Perhaps because of this role, Russian buses are and have been usually crowded, despite their old age and frequent breakdowns. (Morton 180–191)
Nevertheless, as is the case with other forms of surface transit, increasing traffic both before and after the fall of the Soviet Union have led to increasing travel times and customer dissatisfaction. (see e.g. Kaple 40) Nevertheless, buses seem one of the most practical and easy-to-develop forms of mass transit (and, on the whole, having a positive effect on decreasing surface traffic); this has led the Russian government to conclude that increasing the number of buses in service throughout Russia by 13,500 per year will be necessary to maintain transport services (despite far fewer actually coming into service). (O'Grady)
I am skeptical, however, that such an increase in buses is really practical. First, buses are already caught in traffic jams (at least in medium-large cities) a substantial amount of time. When I was in Moscow, our group rode on a chartered bus, which seemed to be moving slower than the pedestrian traffic at least half the time. Secondly, as is eminently obvious to anyone traveling to Moscow, Russians want to drive cars in cities. The number of billboards advertising BMW and Mercedes dealerships was astounding, and the constant traffic seems to have little effect in dissuading Muscovites from purchasing cars. Therefore, buses will probably only continue to get slower, diminishing even yet more their ridership. After all, if you are going to be stuck in traffic, you might as well do so in an air-conditioned BMW, not a stuffy '70s-era city bus.