Esenler Coach Terminal

Esenler Coach Terminal (Turkish: Esenler Otogarı), is the central and largest bus terminus for intercity bus service in İstanbul, Turkey. Although the terminus is located in Bayrampaşa district it is named after Esenler district, which is closer.

Esenler Coach Terminal Esenler Otogarı
A view from the upper level
Location	Bayrampaşa, Istanbul
Coordinates	41.03987°N 28.89413°E
Platforms	324
Construction
Platform levels	4
History
Opened	1994
Passengers
daily	600,000+[1]
Services
Intercity coaches, İETT city buses

Intercity busses at Esenler Terminus.

The terminal under rain

History

• In 1980, considerations started to build a new terminus on the European side of Istanbul. Since the Topkapı bus terminus was becoming increasingly crowded.
• In 1987, the construction of the new terminus started.
• In 1994, the terminus entered service.[2] The cost of the structure was $140 million.[1]

Location

The terminus is situated on the European side of İstanbul, in Bayrampaşa district. It occupies 242,000 m² (2,600,000 sq ft), 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.[2]

Directions

There are coaches arriving and departing from almost all cities of Turkey. There are also coaches that service to neighbouring countries and the rest of Europe.

Statistics

• The structure is multi-storey. There are 450-500 permanent parking lots for buses and over 1,000 temporary ones.
• Average total bus traffic per day is about 15,000 buses.
• The terminus has a capacity of 600,000 passengers a day.
• There are between 3,000-5,000 people that are employed in the terminus.
• Around one million passengers pass through it every day.[2]

Connections

• Istanbul Metro line M1 (Yenikapı-Istanbul Atatürk Airport-Kirazlı) at Otogar metro station
• Taxis
• City buses
• Private buses
• Most bus companies have shuttle service by their own minibuses (Turkish: Servis) that transport passengers to other parts of İstanbul.

Criticism

The bus terminus has been especially criticized for its chaotic and ugly architecture.[2][3] It also has constant bus congestion within itself. The security of the terminus is a constant worry, too.

References

1. "İşletme ve Fiziki Kapasite". Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
2. Tanış, Tolga (1999-09-27). "En büyük gecekondu". Hürriyet. Retrieved 2012-11-14.
3. "Bu otogar İstanbul'a yakışıyor mu?". Archived from the original on 2012-12-17.

External links