28.03.2025 12:22
The coincidence of Ramadan Bayram with the school break and the administrative leave granted to public employees has led to a surge in demand at bus companies. To meet this demand, bus companies have made an additional 12,000 bus tickets available for sale. It has also been emphasized that there is a ticket congestion for the return trips, and a call has been made not to set out on the road with tired, sleepless, and poorly maintained vehicles.
The increase in bus services began yesterday due to the coincidence of Ramadan Feast with the school break. After public employees were granted administrative leave on April 2, 3, and 4, 12,000 additional bus tickets were made available for sale.
Mustafa Yıldırım, the President of the All Bus Operators Federation (TOF), stated that 343 bus companies are providing services with 8,000 buses across Turkey, saying, "The number of bus services, which is 22,000 on normal days, can rise to 27,000 on special days like holidays and vacation periods."
12,000 ADDITIONAL TICKETS MADE AVAILABLE
Yıldırım recalled that this year, the mid-term break of the 2024-2025 academic year coincides with Ramadan Feast and that the holiday period has extended to 9 days due to public employees being granted administrative leave. Following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's announcement regarding the administrative leave for public employees on April 2, 3, and 4, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure granted permission to intercity bus companies to use buses registered under B2 and D2 licenses during the holiday period. Thus, in addition to bus tickets, 12,000 extra bus tickets were also made available for sale. We plan to transport nearly 8 million passengers during the holiday period with additional services. Yıldırım noted that there has been an increase in demand for bus services, especially to holiday destinations, as well as from those who wish to spend the holiday in their hometowns, stating, "We are receiving intense demand for this holiday from all over Turkey. The increase in bus services began yesterday due to the holiday. While there is no congestion on the first and second days of the holiday, there is congestion on the other days." he expressed.
ADVICE FOR DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS
Emphasizing that there will be congestion on the roads during the holiday period, Yıldırım stated that everyone, especially bus drivers, should be more careful. He pointed out that bus accidents occur from time to time and noted that these can be reduced if drivers do not set out with tired, sleepless, and poorly maintained vehicles. Yıldırım expressed that citizens traveling should also pay attention to wearing seat belts, noting that this is a legal obligation. He added that there is no increase in bus ticket prices, stating that the minimum price set by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure will be applied.