Bus tickets sold out in Istanbul ahead of Ramadan Feast, additional services added

Turkey Bus Operators Federation (TOFED) Chairman Birol Özcan said there is high demand for intercity passenger buses in Istanbul due to the Ramadan Feast.

Reminding that the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has issued a circular for additional services to be organized for this holiday, just as in previous holidays, Özcan said, "The ministry has granted permission for additional services until April 16. We have opened our additional services. Our main services for the Ramadan Feast were already full. Additional services have also started to fill up. As of today, bus services are fully booked."

Stating that they will not leave any passengers behind who want to travel to their hometowns for the holiday and that they are organizing services to all provinces and districts from Istanbul, Özcan said, "While our daily bus services are between 1,000 and 1,100, they will rise to 2,000 starting tomorrow. With this number of services, we are approaching the number of bus services from before the pandemic. The 9-day holiday is effective in this. This holiday will be a fruitful one."

Calling on citizens to purchase tickets from companies departing from bus terminals, Özcan continued:

"Families should not rent buses from neighborhood streets or districts to go to their hometowns. This causes accidents, and they travel uncontrolled with a single driver. I especially request our Minister of Interior to take very strict measures with the gendarmerie in gendarmerie zones and the police in police zones. They should check all the documents of the buses. They should also check the bus terminal departure documents. We call buses without a terminal departure document 'pirate private transport.' We need to prevent them; they cause accidents."

Özcan said that the intensity during the holiday pleases the sector and that the main services were full going to and from regions during the election held last week.

Emphasizing that the summer season is approaching, Özcan said, "Schools will be on holiday in June. Our companies will find relief in the summer season."

Bus company official Cumhur Kahveci stated that the density at the bus terminal has increased as the holiday approaches.

Providing information that the tickets sold for the holiday are sold out and they have started to open additional services, Kahveci said, "There is a high demand for the holiday, especially in the Black Sea, Aegean, and Southeastern Anatolia regions. Tickets for our services are sold out. We are doing our best to open new services and not to victimize passengers."

News Source: AA