Driving in a foreign country, especially in a congested city as Ulan Bator, can be a real challenge. Summon your patience, buckle down,
and read this little survival guide to understand how Mongolian people drive and manage to weave in and out in the traffic of the sprawling Mongolian capital.
Can I drive today ? It depends on your license plate number
The first thing you have to do before driving in Ulan Bator, is to check if you’re allowed to. The city of Ulan Bator was created for 400.000 inhabitants, but it has reached 1.300.000 today! There are much more cars than expected and traffic causes a problem. So the city council imagined an alternate driving system in order to limit the number of vehicles: if your license plate number is finished with 1 or 6, you can’t drive on Monday; if it’s finished with 2 or 7, you can’t drive on Tuesday, etc.
Be careful! If you drive while you’re not allowed to, you can be sure you’ll get a fine: the police checks with great attention!
Be careful! If you drive while you’re not allowed to, you can be sure you’ll get a fine: the police checks with great attention!
Left-hand or right-hand drive?
Here you are, at the wheel of your car, but… on which side is it placed?
In effects, in Mongolia, there are just as many left-hand drive cars as right-hand drive cars. Why? Because there are principally second-hand cars, and the side where the wheel is placed only depends on the country from where the car has been imported. For example, cars that come from Japan or Hong Kong will have a right-hand drive, whereas cars from South Korea or USA will have a left-hand drive.
Now that you know that, don’t worry, if your car has a left-hand drive, it’s ok for you, you’ll have no problem to drive on the right side of the road!
In effects, in Mongolia, there are just as many left-hand drive cars as right-hand drive cars. Why? Because there are principally second-hand cars, and the side where the wheel is placed only depends on the country from where the car has been imported. For example, cars that come from Japan or Hong Kong will have a right-hand drive, whereas cars from South Korea or USA will have a left-hand drive.
Now that you know that, don’t worry, if your car has a left-hand drive, it’s ok for you, you’ll have no problem to drive on the right side of the road!
