Shared taxi from Osh to Bishkek - Through Uzbekistan enclave or not?

The road used to go through Uzbekistan. Although the road is still there, the new road goes through Uzgen and then to Jalal-Abad, to avoid the border hassle.
Basically, the Osh-Bishkek route, if you look at Maps (or Earth) on Google, is: you take A370 route to Uzgen, and then head to Jalal-Abad via a direct road (unidentified at Maps), with getting to M41 route afterwards, which will get you straight to Bishkek. All the way through you stay @ Kyrgyz side.

No, the current road doesn't go through Uzbek territory. I made the journey in Sep 2009, and -- as #1 says -- the road skirts the edges of Uzbekistan. There are a number of tantalising turn-offs towards the border, but you won''t need another visa to travel from Osh to Bishkek.

It's a fantastic drive!

I too took a shared taxi on this route in 2008, along the M41, without crossing into Uzbekistan.

I was carrying a GPS logger and my GPS log shows that in one section we were running almost exactly along the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border,and in another place (just North of Kochkor Ata) we made an awkward dog leg to avoid a section of Uzbekistan which stuck out across the former M41 route.

By the way, keep in mind that Google Earth's idea of where Central Asian borders are is sometimes a little bit different from where the border is on the ground. They can easily be a mile or more off.

Thanks for the replies, everybody!

How long did the drive take?
How much was the going rate?
Do you get dropped off at your accomodation at the destination city?

Many, many thanks for the advice.

It takes 10-12 hours by shared taxi in good weather. We stopped for a lunch break and later a couple of times for tea and naan with nomads and to buy honey and vegetables from impoverished Russians with roadside stalls. Allow a longer journey in bad weather or during political unrest. I paid 1000 som for my seat, but I think the going rate was/still is 900. The driver delivers you to your accommodation, if he knows where it is. If not, make sure you have a contact number to phone for directions.

The drivers in Osh seem to have a system. Although they'll surround you in a mob, they seem to know which driver should fill his car for the next departure. Enjoy being the centre of attention for two minutes!

Check the tires carefully or better, arrange a safe driver in advance. Those guys surrounding you "in a mob" often drive like maniacs. The ride is absolutely stunning, but given the good condition of the road the driver may think he is on the German Autobahn.