IMM responds to minibus backlash in the Princes' Islands: The majority of the public is satisfied

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) has issued a statement regarding the large public transport vehicles in the Princes' Islands (Adalar) that have drawn public backlash.

Following the removal of horse-drawn carriages in the Princes' Islands in January 2020, transport was provided by 3-passenger electric taxis and 13-passenger minibuses affiliated with the IMM. However, the recent deployment of 20-passenger electric minibuses to the region has sparked backlash from the residents of the Princes' Islands.

Stating that the region is a protected site and a pedestrian zone, the islanders organized protests against the minibuses, which they have dubbed 'Azmanbüs' (Giant-buses). Police intervened against the island residents who gathered at Çınar Square in Büyükada and the Kurşunburnu area where the IETT Garage is located, and arrests were made.

"THE PREVIOUS VEHICLES' LICENSES EXPIRED"

In its statement on the matter, the IMM included the phrase, "Public transport is indispensable for the people of the Princes' Islands." Noting that public transport is "essential" for the Princes' Islands, where the population reaches 60 thousand in the summer months, the IMM recorded that this is also a necessity for disadvantaged groups during the winter months.

The IMM stated that the minibuses causing the backlash began service after the licenses of the previously used 13-passenger vehicles expired, and that they are used in 12 different countries. The vehicles were described as "zero-emission, electric, quiet, and environmentally friendly."

The statement said, "Due to the fact that national and international vehicle manufacturers did not participate in the tenders opened by IETT for new electric vehicles requested to be produced specifically for the Princes' Islands, licensed, electric vehicles equipped with safety features, which are a joint production of ASELSAN and KARSAN within the scope of the Industrial Cooperation Project with the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey, were purchased."

"IMM IS SUBSIDIZING"

The highlights of the IMM's statement are as follows:

- A large portion of the population in the Princes' Islands district, consisting of Büyükada, Heybeliada, Burgazada, and Kınalıada, expresses satisfaction with the removal of horse-drawn carriages and the fact that public transport has been provided completely clearly, programmatically, and economically by the IMM and IETT since 2020.

- However, a segment of the island's public argues that there should be no public transport activities in the Princes' Islands district and that transport in the Princes' Islands can be provided by walking. Another segment states that they do not want the newly arrived registered, safe, and electric vehicles on the grounds that they are larger, and they want the unregistered electric vehicles whose usage permit period has expired to continue.

- The vehicles that have started service in the Princes' Islands district are used in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Croatia, Japan, Portugal, Romania, Spain, the USA, and Canada.

- The usage permit period granted by UKOME for the existing 13-passenger, electric, L-class unregistered vehicles expired on April 30, 2024. For this reason, vehicles that are also electric, quiet, and environmentally friendly, but which must be M-class and registered according to the relevant legislation, were put into service.

- IETT carries out public transport in the Princes' Islands as a public duty, just as it does in all other districts of Istanbul. The ratio of IETT's revenues to its expenses is only at the 35% level. The cost of public transport is subsidized by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

- Not providing public transport service in the Princes' Islands district is not only legally impossible but also a necessity in terms of ensuring that people of different ages and different health conditions living in the Princes' Islands can reach wherever they want, such as hospitals, schools, cemeteries, and the beach.

In the Princes' Islands district, which has an area of 16 square kilometers, transport cannot be provided entirely on foot during different seasons of the year such as summer and winter, and it is also necessary to provide transport for tourists coming to the Princes' Islands, whose population exceeds 60 thousand on public holidays and weekends.

News Source: 12punto