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Due to its unique position and its incredible size, Istanbul has an
incredible variety of transport modes incorporating small and large
vehicles for road and rail as well as a variety of water vessels.
Having lived in this city for almost eight years, I have never felt
the need to purchase a car.
On both sides of the Bosphorus the most common mode of transport
seem to be the so-called “minibuses”, light blue on the Asian, cream
on the European continent – they are not allow to cross from one
part into the other.
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The advantage of these
small buses is that they serve the more remote parts of Istanbul and
stop wherever you want them to stop, but when in motion they tend to
move at neck-breaking speed, making the ride rather unpleasant. In addition they tend to
be overcrowded and a tall person will find it difficult to stand
straight if no seat is available as the ceiling is rather low. They
are also not the safest mode of transport, but probably the cheapest
with prices varying according to distance.
At the other end of the price scale are registered taxis, easy
recognizable in their bright yellow, which can be flagged down on
the street or found at designated taxi stands. Istanbul taxi drivers
are a cheerful bunch, often trying to make conversation, even in
foreign languages and can generally be trusted to not extend the
route unnecessarily. Prices are moderate, there’s a starting fee of
2.10 YTL and a 3 km ride will set you back around 6-7 YTL. If you
happen to cross one of the two bridges, the driver will charge you
two bridge tolls, if his base is on the side where you board the
taxi.
The easiest way to get around Istanbul is undoubtedly using the vast
range of municipal and public buses. There are at least 300 lines
covering all of Istanbul including suburbs. Information about lines
can be obtained on www.iett.gov.tr or at any major bus
station and prices for a single journey on one continent are 1.40
YTL and 2.80 YTL when crossing continents at the time of writing. A
range of discount cards are available and some of these also cover
boats, trains, subway and trams. Some of these bus lines are ideally
suited to do some sightseeing around Istanbul without having to use
the more expensive tours, but of course lack the commentary.
The
buses are green, cream and red or blue, depending on line and
operator. Bus drivers and conductors generally don’t speak any
foreign language. While it is customary to offer seats to elderly or
pregnant citizens, the local youth seems to have forgotten about
this habit almost entirely. An obstacle using the bus might be the
fact that there aren’t many designated bus lanes, leaving you stuck
in the always heavy traffic. This isn’t valid for the newly
introduced Metrobus, which runs from Avcilar to Topkapi on the
European side with its designated lane in the middle of the city
motorway.
In recent years, the subway system has seen a massive expansion and
there are now two major lines connecting the airport, Taksim and the
financial district Levent on the European side. There are expansion
plans on the Asian side, where the completion of a line envisaged
for 2010. At the same time, the
Marmaray tunnel under the Bosphorus
nears its completion and both sides will be connected in order to
ease traffic on the existing bridges.
Parts of the rail network are also the two tramways in Beyoglu and
Kadikoy. As part of bringing back some nostalgic elements the local
municipalities re-introduced these trams to cater mainly for
shoppers and clubbers as they run through two major shopping and
entertainment districts on either side of Istanbul. In addition
there are also two cable cars, which take tourists to places high up
over the Bosphorus.
Above sea level there are two types of boats – the fast sea buses,
connecting the major ports such as Kartal, Bostanci, Kadikoy,
Uskudar and Beykoz on the Asian with Bakirkoy, Yenikapi, Eminonu,
Karakoy, Kabatas, Besiktas and Sariyer on the European side. The sea
buses tend to operate more frequently during rush hours – exact
times can be obtained on
www.ido.com.tr
The site also lists the schedules for the traditional passenger
boats running between the two continents. These are somewhat slower
than the sea buses, but a lot more romantic. They feature open and
closed decks and serve Turkish tea and coffee as well as cold drinks
during the journey. Some of the working population has their
breakfast here on the way to work. While most boats operate between
two main ports only, one line exclusively cares for the smaller,
picturesque ports on the eastern Bosphorus.
Unfortunately most of the public transport still shuts down at night
and the only alternative left besides taxis are the same-colored
Dolmush (“Dolmus”). They have designated start and end points, can
carry up to 7 people and leave for their destination when full. As
people get off during the journey, they take new passengers on board
when flagged down. The advantage here is clearly their
round-the-clock availability and the fact that you always get to sit
as they don’t allow standing. Using the road, they are of course
subject to traffic conditions. Their prices are higher than those of
the buses, but still a lot lower than taxis.
The latter may be cheaper if shared – some taxi drivers and
operators run a shared taxi service, where passengers with the same
destination share a 4-seater vehicle as well as the costs.
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