If you don’t wish to drive in Ankara, there are several
alternative means of transportaion. In general, the public
transportatiion system is cheap and easy to use. Municipality
buses, public buses, dolmuş, taxi and subway are among Ankara’s
public transportation alternatives. You only need to learn where
the stops are.
Bus (Otobüs)
Buses are cheap, however especially at peak times they are very
crowded and they are not comfortable. There are two types of
buses in Ankara which serve the entire city.
One is run by the municipality, Belediye Otobüsü, these
buses are either red or blue and dark blue striped. Since
electronic tickets are required for traveling on these buses,
they should be bought in advance. They are sold in minimum
packages of five and each ticket costs 1.40 YTL.
The second type of bus is privately run Halk Otobüsü,
which are green or blue. Tickets are not valid on those buses
and only cash is accepted, however the price is the same. The
green double-decker buses are also privately owned and require
cash. Some of them are covered by colorful advertisements.
Underground (Metro-Hafif Metro)
In Ankara, the underground has two routes. Ankaray (Light metro)
and Metro.
They are both very comfortable and speedy. Connections between
Metro and Ankaray are in Kızılay. If you choose to
purchase one-way ticket you are going to pay 1.50 YTL instead of
1.10 YTL. A map of the route and electronic cards can be
obtained from any underground station. Working hours are
06.00-00.00
The first line of the 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 stops.
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 in which they will be traveling. The relatively cheap
prices are set by the municipality and are displayed in a
visible location within the vehicle.
Taxi (Taksi)
Taxis are numerous in all Turkish cities and are recognizable by
their yellow color and word taksi on top 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 gündüz from 06:00 till midnight. The
ride will start at 1.70 YTL, and the rate is 1.70 YTL per
kilometer. Night rate "gece" is from midnight till 06:00 am. The
fare starts at 2.12 YTL, and there after the charge is 2.12 YTL
per kilometer.
Here are a few phrases we think you might find useful:
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 -
bekleyin, Turn right - sağa dönün, Turn left -
sola dönün, Please - lütfen.
Suburban Train (Banliyö Treni)
There are suburban trains traveling from Sincan a district on
the west of the city to Kayaş which is on the east end of
Ankara. Suburban trains may be an alternative when traffic is an
issue, however since they are the most affordable way to travel
longer distances, they can be extremely crowded and dirty.
Tickets are 600.000 TL and can be bought at the station. Monthly
discount cards are also available.
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