Metrobüs
Overview
Locale	Istanbul
Transit type	Bus rapid transit (BRT)
Number of lines	1
Number of stations	44
Daily ridership	1,000,000[1]
Website	Metrobus
Operation
Began operation	17 September 2007
Operator(s)	IETT
Number of vehicles	334[2]
Technical
System length	52 km (32.3 mi)
System map Legend Distance Station 0 km 0 mi Söğütlüçeşme 1 km 1 mi Fikirtepe 2 km 1 mi Uzunçayır 3.9 km 2.4 mi Acıbadem 5 km 3 mi Altunizade 6.3 km 3.9 mi Burhaniye 6.9 km 4.3 mi Boğaziçi Köprüsü Asia Bosporus Europe 11.4 km 7.1 mi Zincirlikuyu 13.3 km 8.3 mi Mecidiyeköy 14.2 km 8.8 mi Çağlayan 14.7 km 9.1 mi Okmeydanı Hastane 15.6 km 9.7 mi Darülaceze—Perpa 16.4 km 10.2 mi Okmeydanı 17.9 km 11.1 mi Halıcıoğlu Golden Horn 19.2 km 11.9 mi Ayvansaray 20.1 km 12.5 mi Edirnekapı 20.7 km 12.9 mi Vatan 21.4 km 13.3 mi Bayrampaşa—Maltepe 22 km 14 mi Topkapı 22.5 km 14 mi Cevizlibağ 24.2 km 15 mi Merter 25 km 16 mi Zeytinburnu 26.6 km 16.5 mi İncirli 27.4 km 17 mi Bahçelievler 28.9 km 18 mi Şirinevler 29.8 km 18.5 mi Yenibosna 33.2 km 20.6 mi Sefaköy 33.9 km 21.1 mi Beşyol 34.9 km 21.7 mi Florya 35.4 km 22 mi Cennet Mahallesi Küçükcekmece Creek 36.6 km 22.7 mi Küçükcekmece 38.9 km 24.2 mi İBB Sosyal Tesisler 40 km 25 mi Şükrübey 40.7 km 25.3 mi Avcılar 42 km 26 mi Cihangir Üniv. Mahallesi 42.7 km 26.5 mi Mustafa Kemal Paşa 44 km 27 mi Saadetdere Mahallesi 45 km 28 mi Haramidere Sanayi 46 km 29 mi Haramidere 46.6 km 29 mi Güzelyurt 47.4 km 29.5 mi Beylikdüzü 47.9 km 29.8 mi Beylikdüzü Belediye 48.8 km 30.3 mi Cumhuriyet Mahallesi 49.9 km 31 mi Hadımköy 50.7 km 31.5 mi Beylikdüzü Sondurak

TheMetrobus (Turkish:Metrobüs) is a 52 km (32.3 mi)bus rapid transit route inIstanbul,Turkey. The system has 44 stations that follow the city's ring road viaAvcılar,Zincirlikuyu and theBosphorus Bridge toSöğütlüçeşme using dedicatedbus lanes for almost the entire length of the route.^[a][4]

The busway, the first section of which opened in 2007 after two years of construction, is used by a number of Metrobus lines which operate within a 'closed' system carrying 1 million people daily. Turkish authorities have since assisted with the development ofa similar system inLahore,Pakistan, which opened in 2013.^[5] Its name was coined by theİETT to suggest that the system is a hybrid between a metro train (Turkish:metro) and a bus (Turkish:otobüs).

The BRT corridor Avcılar - Söğütlüçeşme is certified to meet theBRT Standard with excellence: silver (2022)^[6]

From 2007 till 2025 Istanbul was the only Turkish city with a metrobus line. The second Turkish metrobus line was opened inSakarya on July 15, 2025.^[7]

Construction of the first section of the busway, between Avcılar (servingIstanbul University'sAvcılar campus) andTopkapı started in 2005.^[8]

The busway opened on September 17, 2007.^[8] It was then extended in an easterly direction from Topkapı to Zincirlikuyu, and then from Zincirlikuyu to Söğütlüçeşme, the latter of which is on theAnatolian side of Istanbul. In 2012, it was extended from Avcılar to a western residential suburb,Beylikdüzü.^[9]

The busway is approximately 50 km (31 mi) in length and has 45 stations,^[10] with one lane each direction following Istanbul's main highwayD.100.

The system mainly follows the city's ringroad, with a fully separated right-of-way betweenAvcılar andZincirlikuyu and between the eastern end of theBosphorus Bridge andSöğütlüçeşme. There are no intersections with a dedicated bus lane in each direction with few passing lanes.^[4] Buses drive on the left-hand side of the bus lane, so that their doors, designed for conventional operation with door to the right-hand side of the vehicle, open onto the bidirectional central platforms. Most services operate only with the 'closed' BRT system.

The following table shows the interval between buses (headway) for each of three sections of the line for vehicles traveling in an easterly direction; intervals for buses in the other direction are similar.^[11]

The system implements all-door-boarding except for the late night time. The buses perform compulsory stopping except for the late night time (there is an internal PA when the line operates in the request stopping regime).

Times above shown as 'minutes:seconds'

There are six main services, each operating on different sub-sections of the route, and also the infrequent Beylikdüzü - Söğütlüçeşme which operates over the full length for the busway, which is deployed in late night times and/or times with overall low anticipated demand, such as a curfew or a widespread travel restriction.

Table showing the number of trips made by different lines using the busway

At the eastern end, a new extension toGöztepe is planned.

It has been suggested thatPhileas buses, which are now rarely used, were underpowered and not strong enough to carry heavy passenger loads and climb steep hills typical of the topography of Istanbul. The hillclimbing aspect of this perception, though widely reported by the press, does not appear to have much evidential basis.^[13]

İETT's stated loading capacity (no. of people) for Phileas buses was considerably higher than that of the manufacturer. According to Phileas manufacturer APTS, the total capacity of the Phileas buses bought by İETT was 185 passengers.^[14] In comparison, former İETT president Mehmet Öztürk stated that the buses could safely operate with upwards of 280 passengers.^[15]

The single-lane Metrobus roads are frequently blocked by Phileas buses breaking down, causing delays for the all buses in a single direction.^[16][17] In May 2009, then-İETT president Mehmet Öztürk invited press members to "falsify untrue allegations against the Phileas brand buses". During the demonstration, another Phileas bus operating on the same lane broke down, thus blocking the route of the press bus for approximately five minutes. Öztürk later argued that the accident was the result of operator error.^[15] Also in 2009, İETT dismissed concerns regarding their institutional incompetence and the design of Phileas buses, citing "the very high loading at peak hours as the reason for malfunctioning rather than the road slope."^[3]

Phileas buses were designed with the capacity to use an electronicguided bus system.^[18] Öztürk pointed out that the guided bus system ensured that Phileas buses were safer than others, and that, even in the case of a fronttire blowing out at speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour, the vehicle would not crash.^[15] Despite his confidence in the safety of Phileas buses, one caught on fire in early 2015, further deepening concerns amongst the press and the Istanbulite public regarding their reliability and safety.^[19]

The manufacturers of the Phileas buses, APTS, were taken to court in 2010 by İETT over the failures.^[20] In 2017,CHPMPGürsel Tekin stated that formerMinister of the InteriorBeşir Atalay, along with other members of theAKP cabinet, twice prevented theIstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) from initiating an investigation into the matter.^[21] An official investigation was launched by the government with the company.^{[citation needed]}

The purchase of the Phileas buses was widely criticized in media as a waste of resources.^[3] In 2007, each Phileas bus cost 1.2 millionEuros,^[b] and a total of 63 million Euros was paid by İETT to acquire 50 of them. In contrast, aMercedes-BenzCapaCity only cost 300,000 Euros,^[c] and proved to be much more useful for the Metrobus. In 2008, civil service inspectors from theMinistry of the Interior uncovered 100 million Euros worth of irregular financial transactions in the İETT, chiefly relating to the purchase of the Phileas fleet. Their report to the Ministry, implicating high-ranking İETT officials including former president Mehmet Öztürk, indicated that the 63 million Euro purchase was made without a tender. By the request of the inspectors, a judicial investigation into İETT leadership was initiated by theBeyoğlu Office of the Chief PublicProsecutor, with Öztürk providing a writtentestimony.^[22]

Shaded boxes indicate route operates from the station.^[11]

• Routes

1. 34 (Avcılar - Zincirlikuyu)
2. 34A (Söğütlüçeşme - Cevizlibağ AÖY)
3. 34AS (Avcılar - Söğütlüçeşme)
4. 34BZ (Beylikdüzü - Zincirlikuyu)
5. 34C (Beylikdüzü - Cevizlibağ)
6. 34G (Beylikdüzü - Söğütlüçeşme)
7. 34U (Uzunçayır - Zincirlikuyu)
8. 34Z (Zincirlikuyu - Söğütlüçeşme)

• Public transport in Istanbul
• Istanbul nostalgic tramways
• Sabiha Gökçen Airport
• Ferries in Istanbul
• Istanbul Airport
• Istanbul Metro
• Istanbul Tram
• Marmaray

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMetrobus (Istanbul).

• Metrobüs Forum(in Turkish)
• Metrobüs Schedule
• Beylikdüzü Metrobus CountdownArchived 2011-08-08 at theWayback Machine

• Transport in Istanbul
• Bus rapid transit
• 2007 establishments in Turkey
• Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality

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