Transport in Ankara
If you don’t wish to drive in Ankara there are a variety of easy and cheap
alternatives for you. Municipality buses, public buses, dolmuş, taxi and subway
are among the Ankara’s public transportation alternatives. All you need is to
learn well where the stops are.
Bus (Otobüs)
Buses are cheap, however especially at peak times they are very crowded and
they’re not comfortable. There are two types of buses in Ankara servicing the
whole the city.
One is run by the municipality and these are called Belediye Otobüsü. These
buses are either red or blue and dark blue striped. Since electronic tickets
are required for traveling with these buses the tickets should be bought in
advance. They are sold in minimum usage of five.
The second type of bus is privately run Halk Otobüsü, which are green or blue.
Tickets are not welcome on these buses and only cash is accepted. However the
price is the same. The green double-decker busses are also privately owned and
require cash. Some of them are covered by colorful advertisements.
Underground (Metro-Hafif Metro)
There are 2 routes of underground in Ankara. Ankaray (Light metro) and Metro.
They are both very comfortable and speedy. Connections between Metro and Ankaray
are in Kızılay. The fare for 1 unit is the same as the bus and your electronic
bus tickets are also valid here. Route map and electronic cards
can be obtained from any underground station. Working hours are 06.00-00.00
The first line of th Ankara Metro runs from Batıkent, north of the city
to Kızılay in other words the Centrum.
Ankaray (Light metro) runs from ASTI (Ankara Intercity Bus Station), west of
the town, passing through Kızılay and ending in Dikimevi.
Dolmuş
Dolmuş is a special service found only in Turkey. This is a collective taxi,
which follows specific routes. It may be a car or a minibus. Each passenger
pays according to the distance traveled and can get off at specific or requested
stops. In order to get off, the passenger need only say, "inecek var"
meaning “someone to get off here” and the dolmuş will stop. The municipality
fixes the relatively cheap fares. This is a very practical means of transportation
and much cheaper than a taxi. You pay the fee to the driver. Prices differ depending
on distance traveled. They usually have a sign in the lower or upper right-hand
corner of their windshield that specifies the direction to which they will be
traveling. The prices are displayed somewhere visitble within the vehicle.
Taxi (Taksi)
Taxis are numerous in all Turkish cities and are recognizable by their yellow
color and word taksi on top of the car. All taxis have the letter T in their
license plates. The fare shown on the meter reads according to distance traveled.
Be sure that the meter is on day rate and reads "gündüz" from 06:00a.m
till midnight. The ride will start at 1.3 YTL, and the rate is 1.3 YTL
per kilometer. Night rate "gece" is from midnight till 06:00 am. The
fare starts at 1.95 YTL, and thereafter the charge is 1.95 YTL per
kilometer.
Here are a few useful sayings that might come in handy:
Turn off the music - müziği kapatın; Close the window - camı kapatın;
Open the window - camı açın; Stop here - burada durun; Left -
sol, Right - sağ; Turn on the meter - taksimetreyi çalıştırın;
Wait please - lütfen bekleyin; Wait here - burada bekleyin.
Suburban Train (Banliyö Treni)
There are suburban trains traveling from Sincan a district on the west of the
city, to Kayaş at east end of Ankara. Suburban trains are alternative
when traffic is an issue, however since they are the most affordable way to
travel longer distances, they can be extremely crowded, dirty and not very preferable.
Tickets can be bought at the station. Monthly discount cards
are also available.
Also See:
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