Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A cable-car runs between the waterside at Eyüp to the Pierre Loti Café ( 2). Another
travels between Maçka (near Taksim) downhill to the İstanbul Technical University in
Taşkışla, but is of little use to travellers.
All are short trips and İstanbulkarts can be used.
Bus
The bus system in İstanbul is extremely efficient, though traffic congestion in the city
means that bus trips can be very long. The introduction of Metrobüs lines (where buses
are given dedicated traffic lanes) aims to relieve this problem, but these tend to service
residential suburbs out of the city centre and are thus of limited benefit to travellers. The
major bus stands are at Taksim Meydanıq, Beşiktaş, Kabataş, Eminönü, Kadıköy and
Üsküdar, and most services run between 6.30am and 9pm. Destinations and main stops on
city bus routes are shown on a sign on the right (kerb) side of the bus (
otobüs
) or on the
electronic display at its front.
İstanbul Elektrik Tramvay ve Tünel
(İETT, Istanbul Electricity, Tramway and Tunnel General
2) before boarding. Buy these from the white booths near major stops and bus, tram and
metro stations, or from some nearby shops for a small mark-up (look for 'İETT
otobüs bi-
leti satılır'
). You can also use an İstanbulkart and save some money. Private buses regu-
lated by the city called Özel Halk Otobüsü often run the same routes; these accept cash
(pay the conductor) and some accept İstanbulkarts.
Dolmuş
A dolmuş is a shared minibus; it waits at a specified departure point until it has a full
complement of passengers (in Turkish, dolmuş means full), then follows a fixed route to
its destination. Destinations are displayed in the window of the dolmuş. Passengers flag
down the driver to get on and indicate to the driver when they want to get off, usually by
saying '
inecek var!'
(someone wants to get out!). Fares vary (pay on board) but are usu-
ally the same as municipal buses. Dolmuşes are almost as comfortable as taxis, run later
into the night in many instances and often ply routes that buses and other forms of trans-
port don't service.
