'Monday' alarm in Istanbul! Public transportation is free.

With the opening of schools on Monday, September 9th, a total of 17,000 school buses will be on the roads in Istanbul, transporting approximately 320,000 students. On the first day of school, public transportation vehicles operated by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) will be free of charge between 06:00 and 16:00, while İSPARK will provide free services to school buses on the first day.

İETT will operate 1,716 additional trips every day starting from the opening of schools. More than 137,000 passengers will be directed to public transportation through these trips, aiming to reduce traffic by 114,000 vehicles. Metro Istanbul is also planning 435 additional trips, expecting approximately 500,000 passengers to use public transportation. As a result, it is expected that 433,000 vehicles will not be on the roads of Istanbul. In addition, school buses will have priority access to car ferries for the first 2 days after the opening of schools. Pedestrian passengers on the Sirkeci-Harem route of İDO will travel for free.

Şehir Hatları (City Lines) will also organize additional ferry trips. In addition, Şehir Hatları will switch to the winter schedule with the end of the summer schedule. The winter schedule will be valid between September 9, 2024, and June 22, 2025.

CLOSE MONITORING OF ISTANBUL TRAFFIC

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) and relevant educational institutions, AKOM (Disaster Coordination Center), and UYM (Transportation Management Center) will gather at 06:00 on Monday, September 9th and will be on duty for 3 days. Istanbul traffic will be monitored from the city's cameras, and congested arteries will be reported to relevant units for immediate intervention. Mobile EDS vehicles belonging to the Traffic Directorate and inspection teams from the Public Transportation Services Directorate, civilian traffic, and municipal police teams will conduct coordinated inspections.

A total of 259 municipal police personnel from 113 teams will actively serve in schools, and 10 towing vehicles will be available at busy intersections. Traffic inspections and guidance will be carried out by municipal police and police officers in the morning and evening.

COMPLETION OF WORKS AT CONSTRUCTION SITES

No work will be carried out at construction sites during the week of school opening, and ongoing works will be completed before the opening of schools. Essential works will continue on the night shift. A standby team will be available 24/7 for emergencies. Road inspection teams will also conduct inspections on streets and roads. Immediate intervention will be made for damaged infrastructure.