Vehicles

1. ماشین

   Māshin

   Car

   Usage

   The everyday word; forms and formal writing use "khodro" (خودرو). Iran's streets are dominated by domestically built Saipa and Iran Khodro cars

2. اتوبوس

   Otobus

   City bus

   Usage

   The city bus; the stop is "istgāh-e otobus". In Tehran you pay with a transit card ("kārt-e belit"). On some buses the rear section is the women's seating area

3. اتوبوس تندرو

   Otobus-e tondrow

   BRT (bus rapid transit)

   Usage

   Literally "fast-running bus" — Tehran's dedicated-lane express service, also called BRT. You board from a platform, so it feels closer to a metro, and it bypasses the traffic

4. مترو

   Metro

   Metro

   Usage

   Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz and Tabriz all have one. Tehran's is fast, cheap and untouched by the traffic; the carriages at each end are women-only ("vāgon-e bānovān")

5. تاکسی

   Tāksi

   Taxi

   Usage

   Iranian taxis rarely have a meter, so agree the destination and price before getting in. Most are yellow or green. "Chand mīshavad?" means "how much?"

6. تاکسی خطی

   Tāksi-ye khatti

   Line taxi (shared)

   Usage

   Literally "line taxi": a fixed route shared with other passengers, very cheap, and the backbone of urban travel in Iran. Call your destination from the roadside or wait at the rank on a square ("meydān"). It usually leaves once four passengers are aboard

7. دربست

   Darbast

   Darbast (private hire)

   Usage

   Literally "closed door" — you are hiring the whole car rather than sharing it, and it is the single most useful word for getting around Iran. Call it to a taxi from the roadside and negotiate the price on the spot; without it the driver assumes you are sharing and will pick up others

8. تاکسی اینترنتی

   Tāksi-ye interneti

   App-based taxi

   Usage

   Literally "internet taxi". Snapp (اسنپ) and Tapsi (تپسی) dominate, and the fare is fixed in advance so there is nothing to haggle over. Registering usually needs a local phone number, so in practice you ask an Iranian to order it for you

9. سواری

   Savāri

   Intercity shared car

   Usage

   A shared saloon car between cities — faster than the bus, priced between the bus and a private taxi. The rank sits beside the bus terminal ("termināl") and it departs once four passengers are aboard

10. اتوبوس بین‌شهری

    Otobus-e beynshahri

    Intercity coach

    Usage

    The intercity coach; the terminal is the "termināl". The "VIP" buses have three wide seats per row that recline almost flat, and cost little more — worth taking on a long haul

11. مینی‌بوس

    Minibus

    Minibus

    Usage

    The small bus linking a town with its villages — sometimes the only way to reach a small place in the provinces

12. قطار

    Qatār

    Train

    Usage

    The station is "istgāh-e rāh-āhan". Sleepers ("qatār-e khābī") such as Tehran–Mashhad are comfortable, with four- or six-berth compartments. The Trans-Iranian Railway north from Tehran is a World Heritage site

13. موتور

    Motor

    Motorcycle

    Usage

    Formally "motorsīklet". Tehran's motorbikes ride on the pavement as often as not, and the "peyk-e motorī" courier keeps the city's parcels moving. Watch behind you when walking

14. دوچرخه

    Docharkhe

    Bicycle

    Usage

    Literally "two wheels". The riverside in Isfahan and the old lanes of Yazd suit a bike; Tehran's traffic does not

15. هواپیما

    Havāpeymā

    Airplane

    Usage

    Literally "sky-measurer". The domestic network is good, and Tehran–Shiraz is far quicker by air than by coach. The airport is "forudgāh" — note that Tehran uses separate airports for international (Imam Khomeini) and domestic (Mehrabad) flights

16. کشتی

    Keshti

    Ship

    Usage

    A large vessel — services run from Bandar Abbas to Qeshm and Kish in the Persian Gulf. The same spelling also means "wrestling", but context sorts it out

17. قایق

    Qāyeq

    Boat

    Usage

    The general word for a small craft, used on the Caspian coast and for island hopping in the Persian Gulf

18. لنج

    Lenj

    Lenj (Persian Gulf dhow)

    Usage

    The traditional wooden vessel of the Persian Gulf, still in service on the crossings to Qeshm and Hormuz. The craft of building and sailing them is on the UNESCO intangible heritage list

19. تله‌کابین

    Telekābin

    Cable car

    Usage

    The Tochal line lifts you from northern Tehran to a ridge above 3,700m, and the one at Namak Abrud on the Caspian coast looks out over both mountains and sea. The word comes from the French "télécabine"

20. وانت

    Vānet

    Pickup truck

    Usage

    From the English "van", and the commonest working vehicle on Iranian streets — hauling vegetables and furniture, and doubling as a roadside fruit stall

21. کامیون

    Kāmyun

    Truck

    Usage

    From the French "camion". On mountain highways trucks crawl, so allow time to overtake

22. آمبولانس

    Āmbulāns

    Ambulance

    Usage

    Call 115 in an emergency. "Āmbulāns khabar konīd" means "call an ambulance"

23. اجاره خودرو

    Ejāre-ye khodro

    Car rental

    Usage

    Literally "renting of a vehicle" — look for this on the sign, and bring an international driving permit. In practice hiring a car with a driver by the day ("darbast") is more usual in Iran, and costs little more

24. قطار شهری

    Qatār-e shahri

    Urban rail

    Usage

    Literally "city train" — the official name for the rail networks of Mashhad, Isfahan and other provincial cities, and the wording you will see on signage

25. ایستگاه

    Istgāh

    Station / stop

    Usage

    Literally "standing place", and used for bus stops, metro stations and railway stations alike. "Īstgāh kojāst?" asks where the station is. Only the intercity coach terminal has its own word, "termināl"

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