What Is The Difference Between Dolmus And Minibus?

— Aksaray, Aksrayyyyy…
— Yes, those who cannot send their wages, those who are waiting for change?
— Is there anyone left behind?
– There is a suitable place to get off…
— How many people were we taking from here?
— Kartaaal, Pendik…

These phrases you’ve heard all your life Go to the exit point and say “From where to where!” Are you ready to be a guest in a story that will make you say?

Let’s take you back to the 1930s, when the streets of Istanbul were much quieter.

Of course, there were neither Magiruses with German Deutz engines nor Peugeot J9s at that time. Public transportation vehicles of that period; trams, a small number of buses and about 600 taxis. However Taking a taxi was a luxury.

erupted in 1929 from the Great Depression Like the whole world, Türkiye was also affected. As customers turned to trams more and more, taxi drivers found it difficult, they even thought of doing different jobs.

Then a driver came up with a brilliant idea!

A man named Halit, who was a cook in his own restaurant, looked at the drivers who came and went to his restaurant and envied him. Chef Halit, who follows his passion, He sold his restaurant and bought a Ford car and started working as a driver.

He was also good with the tourists who came and went to his restaurant. subscription customer Things were going well because he found it. He used to pick up his customer, a Jewish businessman, from Nişantaşı and drop them off in Eminönü every day.

However, later on, his customer was also affected due to economic problems. Chef Halit made a suggestion to his customer that he did not want to lose. to your customer, 3 more people going in the same direction He said that if he found it, he could take them for the same price. Thus, 4 people would split the price of one person.

Halit leaves these customers to work in the morning and starts to apply the same method at other hours.

Halit approached the crowd waiting at the tram stops, “I’m going to Taksim for the tram money” He was taking 4 people to his taxi. While Istanbulites were looking at taxis from afar, which used to be only available to the wealthy, they could now get on it themselves. Moreover, there was no scuffle in the tram or bus, and they could get to their destination faster.

And thus, the first minibus line in Turkey was born between Karaköy and Taksim. The fee was 10 cents.

Other taxi drivers also saw that Chef Halit eats well with this idea, saying that it is better than sitting idle. They also followed fashion.

Later, it became a situation that attracted the attention of the press. In the news of the newspaper Cumhuriyet “Some drivers with old cars, like buses, have started to operate with a fee of ten cents per person on some lines, so they want to operate 60 cars between Karaköy-Beyoğlu and Eminönü-Taksim. The municipality will not allow such cars to operate.” was writing.

Republic, on September 15, 1931 “What’s it called? No taxi, no bus!” In his article titled, he included the following sentences: We wrote in our yesterday’s issue that some taxi cars decided to take three men for ten cents and operate as a bus between Beyoğlu and Istanbul, but the municipality did not approve (not allow) this. Yesterday, some cars operated in this way, drivers were in various districts, ‘A man for ten cents’ they started shouting. However, these movements are prohibited by the municipality. The drivers quite rightly say that it is not illegal to operate a car in this way, and that they transport people cheaper than a taxi.

This system did not really like the municipality.

Due to the loss of customers of trams The police tried to prevent this system, but they were not successful, the minibus system grew like an avalanche.

The Drivers Association applied to the municipality with the signature of 50 drivers and demanded that this system become legal, but the municipality was stubborn. Decreased number of passengers tram company executives He was also quite angry. Over time, both the press and the public adopted the taxi cabs, but the municipality opposed it for many years.

Drivers preferred American brands that produced large cars such as De Söto, Chevrolet and Ford in order to accommodate more passengers.

Some of these were obtained from used cars that consulates put up for sale. However, those who find this width insufficient take the cars to the repair shops and by cutting them in the middle and lengthening them They were making it for 7-8 people when it was 4-5 people.

The stubbornness of the municipality was broken in 1954, 23 years after the appearance of the first minibus.

The municipality, which officially recognized dolmuş services, gave the first tariff. Thus, the dolmuş line, which was only 4, increased to 150. Vehicles have also become more modern. By 1965, minibuses its share in public transportation had increased up to 30%.

In the following years, the demand for minibuses decreased. Alternatives such as bus and metro were effective in this.

Minibuses with much more seats appeared during the peak period of minibuses. What we call dolmuş is actually “taxi dolmuş”.. Minibuses are different, the number of passengers they take is about 14 on average. The minibuses took 4-8 ​​passengers.

Especially in Istanbul, Izmir and Bursa, taxi cabs are more known. They usually work in central locations.

Minibuses have certain hours, but minibuses move when full, As you can guess, its name comes from here.