Istanbul buses

This is the most common means of transport in Istanbul which has many advantages as well as a few drawbacks. First, the advantages. You can reach from any point of Istanbul to another by bus. Just choose your ideal itinerary and go from European part to Asian, or vice versa. Or walk through the Asian part which is really enormous. Secondly, the competitive advantage of a bus in Istanbul is its price. Thirdly, a trip on the bus makes it possible to enjoy the views of the city, because the traffic there rarely moves too fast...

So we gradually come to the shortcomings of the movement of buses in Istanbul. The most important are traffic jams. Like any metropolis, Istanbul at a certain time of day is full with traffic jams. Especially large blocks are at the bridges in Istanbul. It takes a very long time to get from one district to another. In such cases trams, metro or ferry become a real salvation. At this time buses along with other cars weakly honk in traffic jams...

There are rush-hours for Istanbul buses there, but they are not so terrible as described in some guidebooks. Yes, there are a lot of people during the rush hours in Istanbul buses, but none of them steps on other’s feet or is hanging on the footboards. Everything is very civilized, and the concept of personal space is kept even in rush hours in buses in Istanbul.

How to use a bus? The main rule is - look at the schedule of routes! Do not believe the explanations of the passengers who are eager to try to help you but often don’t know the route. The driver is not always able to clearly explain whether you arrive to the desired point of the city at his bus. So – only the schedule and schedule once again...

The work hours for buses in Istanbul are standard. At six in the morning the first buses leave on the route, and at 23:00 – the last. Almost all Istanbul routes are ending at the terminal stops. Many buses you will find at Eminonu Square (near Galata Bridge) Taksim Square, Aksaray and Beyazit. In addition there are buses at Besiktas and in Asian Kadikoy and Uskudar.

What types of buses are there in Istanbul? You just need to remember the most common. They are private and municipal buses. Private are divided into blue and orange. Municipal are red or green. Both of them are comfortable, but private are newer and more advanced which is not surprisingly.

How to pay for travel in Istanbul buses? Depends on whether you choose the municipal bus or private. For municipal bus you need to buy a ticket at the stand "Otobus bilet" or "Bilet gisesi". These are at the final stops of the city. They can sell you one or ten tickets. Pay attention to the time of work of stands - from 6:00 to 20:00. If you do not have time to buy a ticket there, do not worry. The street vendors will help you but a third more expensive. Once bought a ticket - wait for "your" bus and pass through the front door, then leave a paper ticket in the desk beside the driver. You shouldn’t give money to the driver, he will definitely refuse. Only the ticket. It costs one lira anywhere(0.60 dollars).

If you use a private bus, then you will pay to the conductor. He sits next to the front door and buying a ticket in advance is not required. Pay the price directly in the bus. The private buses’ costs are 1,5 YTL (up to the Bosphorus Strait) and 3 YTL (when crossing the Bosphorus) respectively.

There is another way of payment in the bus: a magnetic ticket. You can read about it in the section Public transport tickets in Istanbul.

What else? The stops on Turkish are called "durak". If you want to stop the bus, simply make the driver a sign with your hand.