Beep, beep!

Today, something about the means of transport, and in fact about one of them, which aroused my special interest during my first trip to Istanbul.

From the airport to various locations in the city you can be reached by metro, bus, metrobus or car, so initially anything surprised me. It was like that until the next day, while walking, I saw a little SOMETHING that looked like a blue bug or blue tin of sardines and beep strange. I didn’t like that vehicle, which looked like car from another era(?). Of course, I tried to hide my surprise ... On the other hand, why was I surprised? In every country there are some surprising elements, so maybe I should smile and move on.

This strange little thing Turks call dolmuş, which means "crowded". It should be noted that the name is not exclusively reserved for minibuses and dolmuş is called also a traditional yellow taxi in Istanbul.  If these small buses didn’t run then movement in the city would be much more difficult. For where city buses do not arrive (narrow streets), dolmuş reaches for sure. It should be noted that they do not travel only in the city but also commute to the numerous villages outside the city located to several tens of kilometers away. People who have never traveled dolmuş should prepare for a thrilling ride from the moment when the vehicle stops.     

To get on the van you can go to the bus stop or bus station, or just stop it at any point in road and stop minibus by a wave of your hand. Sometimes drivers do not wait for a sign and stop themselves. If you ask me, then I suggest you wait for the vehicle at the bus stop, because sometimes it is difficult to stop dolmuş on a busy street, so that the traffic is very intense or lack of seats. Theoretically, the vehicle is full when all the seats are occupied, but in practice, it’s quite different. Dolmuş goes when there is no free space inside. 

How much you pay the toll? There is no rule. Every driver has a price-list which depends on road we go, and we can check the required amount. Undoubtedly, the journey by minibus is cheaper than by taxi or the normal bus. Also you can pay at any time. Drivers are very perceptive and it is impossible to cheat him. Often, because of crowding, money goes from passenger to passenger before they reach the driver. The list of places where we get is on the windshield.

Get off the vehicle is easily. It looks like getting in it. Just tell the driver that you want to get off and he will stop dolmuş in the place indicated by you.

On my first riding dolmuş I was very afraid of an accident. It may seem that drivers drive like crazy or are unable to drive, but this is not true, because they know the roads and the specificity of the Istanbul traffic well.

 

So… iyi yolculuklar!