practical information booklet here. - ICSM 2012

Istanbul's public transit system can be difficult to
figure out; maps are rare and you often have to
transfer, and pay another fare, to get where you
are going. However, if you put some effort into
it, you can avoid taxis and not walk too much.
Ticket fares across buses, trams and metros are
at a flat rate (i.e. not dependent on how far you
go). Only cash in Turkish lira is accepted at ticket
kiosks of public transport, no credit cards or
foreign currency. Also be aware that the Istanbul
subway system does not offer transfer tickets
and as such each new line requires a new fare,
unless you use an akbil or an Istanbulkart.
Buying an AKBİL (AKıllı BİLet - Turkish acronym
for "Smart Ticket") is a good idea if you are in
Istanbul for more than a day or two, and intend
to use public transport. AKBİL is a small
electronic device serving as a ticket which may
be used on buses, trams, suburban trains, metro,
local ferries, etc. You buzz the AKBİL when you
get on the bus or enter the tram/metro
There are two types of public buses in Istanbul;
those run by the private sector and those run by
the city-owned İETT. You can differentiate these
two types by their colors. Privately run buses are
blue-green with yellow non-electronic
destination signs while İETT-run buses come in
many flavors including old red-blue ones, newer
green ones and red double-deckers. The Akbil
Transit Pass is valid universally while tickets that
can be obtained in kiosks near bus stops are
valid only onİETT buses and cash payment only
on private buses, although if you get on an İETT
bus the driver will normally accept cash and
hand you his Akbil for you to use.
Recently installed Metrobüs, long hybrid buses
running on their special lanes separated from all
other traffic and thus saving lots of time in
Istanbul's usually congested roads, connect
western suburb of Avcılar with Kadıköy in Asian
Side via Bakırköy, Cevizlibağ which is just out of
old city walls near Topkapı Gate, and
Mecidiyeköy.
Most bus lines operate between 6AM and
around midnight, usually with a reduced volume
Public transport
By bus_IETT
16
platform. The great part for travelers is that you
can buy only one and buzz it as many times as
there are passengers. You can buy or refill them
at designated booths located at any major bus,
tram, to metro station, as well as some other
places such as newspaper stands close to bus
stops. An AKBİL provides slightly discounted
rates compared to regular single tickets, as well
as discounts in transfers (when used multiple
times within a limited period, roughly an hour
and a half since the last time you used it). A
deposit for the device itself is payable when you
buy it, which is refundable if you choose to
return it later. However, the credit left in the
AKBİL is not refundable, so plan ahead
accordingly.
The Akbil is currently being phased out in favor
of the "Istanbulkart" smart card. Istanbulkarts
can be purchased and refilled at the same
locations as Akbils
of services after 10PM. Some lines between
major centres operate 24 hr, though, as is the
Metrobüs, with about an hour intervals. After
midnight, buses cost two tickets pp rather than
the usual one.
24 hr Bus Lines:
� 73 Taksim Square-Ataturk International Airport
� 110 Taksim Square-Kadikoy
� 112 Taksim Square-Bostanci
� 25T Taksim Square-Sariyer
� 40 Taksim Square-Sariyer
� 89C Taksim Square-Basaksehir
� E10 Kadikoy-Sabiha Gokcen International
Airport
� 15F Kadikoy-Uskudar
� 130 Kadikoy-Tuzla
� 34A Sogutlucesme(Kadikoy) - Edirnekapi
(Metrobus)
� 34 Avcilar-Zincirlikuyu (Metrobus)
As a tourist, you are most likely to use the tram
and the metro in the Sultanahmet and Taksim
area since there are no bus lines operating in the
area anymore.