Esenler Coach Terminal ( tr, Esenler Otogarı) is the central and largest

bus terminus A bus terminus is a designated place where a bus or coach starts or ends its scheduled route. The terminus is the designated place that a timetable is timed from. Termini can be located at bus stations, interchanges, bus garages or bus stops. Te ...

for

intercity bus An intercity bus service (North American English) or intercity coach service (British English and Commonwealth English), also called a long-distance, express, over-the-road, commercial, long-haul, or highway bus or coach service, is a public tr ...

service in Istanbul, Turkey. Although the terminus is located in

Bayrampaşa Bayrampaşa (pronounced ) is a suburban district of Istanbul, Turkey on the European side of the city. The mayor is Atila Aydıner (AK Party). History Up to 1936, Bayrampaşa was part of Fatih district. It was then part of Eyüp district betwe ...

district, it is named after

Esenler Esenler is a district of Istanbul, Turkey, on its European side. Esenler is mainly densely packed, working class residential in the midst of its industrial neighbouring districts of Gaziosmanpaşa, Güngören and Bağcılar. The mayor is Tevfik ...

district, which is closer. The multi-story terminal houses 450-500 permanent parking lots for buses and over 1,000 temporary ones. Average total traffic per day is about 15,000 buses. It also has a capacity of 600,000 passengers a day, with around 3,000 to 5,000 people employed in the terminal. Around one million passengers pass through it every day.

History

1994-1999

In 1980, considerations started to build a new terminus on the European side of Istanbul, since the

Topkapı Topkapı ("cannonball gate"), sometimes spelled Topkapi outside of Turkey, is a Turkish word that may refer to: * Topkapı Palace, a museum in Istanbul, Turkey * Topkapı Scroll, a Timurid dynasty pattern scroll in the museum's collection * Topkap ...

bus terminus was becoming increasingly crowded. In 1987, the construction of the new terminus started. In 1994, it entered service. The structure cost $140 million.

2000s–present

In 2021, the Greater Istanbul Bus Terminal was transferred to İSPARK, a subsidiary of the metropolitan municipality. With the change of the operator of the bus station, a large-scale renovation work was started.

Location

The terminus is situated on the European side of İstanbul, in Bayrampaşa district. It occupies , which makes it the largest bus terminus in southeastern Europe and in Turkey. It is the third largest in the world. The terminus has 324 platforms.

Services

There are bus services from Esenler Bus Station to all parts of Turkey. Bus companies operating in the bus station also have free shuttles throughout Istanbul. Coaches arrive and depart from almost all Turkish cities. There are also coaches that service neighbouring countries and the rest of Europe.

Connections

* Istanbul Metro line M1 (

Yenikapı Yenikapı () is a port and a quarter in Istanbul, Turkey, in the metropolitan district of Fatih on the European side of the Bosphorus, and along the southern shore of the city's historically central peninsula. Yenikapı is notable for the ongoing ...

Istanbul Atatürk Airport ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

- Kirazlı) at Otogar metro station * Taxis * City buses * Private busesPrivate buses
/ref> * Most bus companies have shuttle service by their own minibuses ( tr, Servis) which transport passengers to other parts of Istanbul.

Criticism

Until the renovation, the bus terminal was criticized for its chaotic and ugly architecture. It had constant bus congestion. The security of the terminus was also a constant worry.

References

External links

Esenler Bus Terminal bus companies
{{Authority control Bayrampaşa Buildings and structures in Istanbul Transport in Istanbul Transport infrastructure completed in 1994 Transit centers in Istanbul Bus stations in Turkey Public transport in Istanbul