Bus terminal staff complain: The value of our currency is low

Citizens planning to travel for the holiday have complained about bus prices, alleging "opportunism."

Staff at bus companies in the Grand Istanbul Bus Terminal stated that it is the short-distance transport companies that are implementing exorbitant price hikes, while another employee noted that long-distance bus companies have also raised prices significantly.

An employee named Ümit, who said, “It is not in the spirit of the old holidays. A holiday should be in line with the spirit of the times. It changes according to the generation. If you ask young people now, they speak differently; our generation might look at holidays differently,” also commented on the activity at the terminal: “Prices are very expensive. It is going a bit delayed. It is working in fits and starts. Actually, the prices are not expensive; the value of our currency is low. Those coming to Turkey from abroad can travel comfortably. There are trips from here to Adıyaman, Tokat Erbaa, and Elazığ. Extra trips are generally added, but it depends on the passenger situation. I am here during the holiday; I cannot go anywhere. The holiday is far from us. On the contrary, we work more during the holiday. The bus industry is like this every holiday. There is no holiday for a bus. If we get through the holiday safe and sound, that is enough for us. Wherever I find peace alone, that is my vacation,” he said.

Faruk Tuğlu, who works for a company that transports passengers to Bursa, said that business is slow. Tuğlu stated the following:

“The buses are empty. 5-6 people are going. Our people are generally waiting for the eve of the holiday. It will start to fill up after the eve. Hopefully, there will be extra trips. We currently have 10-15 extra trips. There is no limit to service so as not to victimize people. Prices are normal. If Bursa is 350, there might be a 50 difference in between. Eastern companies generally add a thousand, 1,700, 1,800 lira, for example, to Antep. So it is an opportunity... Diesel has already skyrocketed. May God help us all. Our conditions are also very bad. Now no one can go. A family comes; if 5 people go, how will it work? Usually, you look at most of them; they get in their car, take their family, and go.”

“WE INCREASED IT FROM 1,500 TO 1,800”

Veli Kılıç, who sends passengers to Muş, also pointed out that there is high demand because it coincides with both the school break and the holiday. Kılıç continued his words as follows:

“The holiday rush started 3-4 days ago. There is a lot of demand, but there are no buses. We added extra trips. It was one a day, we increased it to two, but it is still not enough. We increased it from 1,500 to 1,800. Short distances have raised prices a lot. I cannot say anything about that, but under normal conditions, there is a price set by the state. We have not exceeded that price. We do not have the chance to exceed it. Short distances turned a 500-lira route into 800; they turned an 800-lira route into 1,200, 1,300. We increased our 23-24 hour route from 1,500 to 1,800. That is normal. We had to do it that way because there are no passengers on the return trip. Otherwise, we could not have managed the extra trips. It affects us because passengers are not coming from the other side. No matter how full it goes from here, nothing changes. The bus barely covers its costs. It goes and comes back empty.”