Vehicles

1. araba

   Car

   Usage

   The everyday word. Forms and road signs use "otomobil" or "araç" (vehicle) instead

2. otobüs

   City bus

   Usage

   The city bus; the stop is a "durak". In Istanbul and other big cities cash is not accepted — you need a transit card such as the İstanbulkart

3. dolmuş

   Dolmuş (shared minibus)

   Usage

   A shared minibus on a fixed route. The name means "filled" — it leaves when the seats are full. Flag it down anywhere, and to get off call "Müsait bir yerde inecek var" (someone getting off at a convenient spot). Fares are passed hand to hand up to the driver

4. minibüs

   Minibus

   Usage

   The same kind of vehicle as a dolmuş, but in the provinces it usually means a scheduled service linking a town with its villages — often the only way to reach a small place

5. şehirlerarası otobüs

   Intercity coach

   Usage

   The backbone of travel in Turkey. The terminal is the "otogar", and an attendant ("muavin") serves tea and snacks on board. Seats are sometimes assigned with the gender of neighbouring passengers in mind

6. metro

   Metro

   Usage

   Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Bursa and Adana all have one, marked with an "M". The station is a "metro istasyonu"

7. metrobüs

   Metrobüs (BRT)

   Usage

   Istanbul's articulated buses on a dedicated lane. They cross the bridge between the European and Asian sides and bypass the traffic, so they are fast — but crushingly crowded at peak times, best avoided with large luggage

8. tramvay

   Tram

   Usage

   Istanbul's T1 line from Kabataş to Bağcılar links Sultanahmet, Eminönü and most of the sights, so travellers use it constantly. Antalya and Konya have trams too

9. nostaljik tramvay

   Heritage tram

   Usage

   The red vintage cars on İstiklal Avenue (Taksim to Tünel) and in Kadıköy. More an attraction than transport — walking is often quicker

10. füniküler

    Funicular

    Usage

    A cable-hauled car up a steep grade. Istanbul's "Tünel" between Karaköy and Beyoğlu opened in 1875 and is reckoned the world's second-oldest underground railway after London's. The F1 line from Kabataş to Taksim is the modern equivalent

11. teleferik

    Cable car

    Usage

    Bursa's Uludağ, Antalya's Tünektepe and the Eyüp–Pierre Loti hill line in Istanbul are the well-known ones. Not the same as a "füniküler", which runs on rails on the ground

12. Marmaray

    Usage

    The rail line through the tunnel under the Bosphorus linking Istanbul's European and Asian sides, usable with an İstanbulkart. The name blends "Marmara", the sea, with "ray", rail

13. tren

    Train

    Usage

    The national railway is TCDD; a main station is a "gar", a smaller one an "istasyon". The Ankara–Kars "Doğu Ekspresi" sleeper across the east is a favourite

14. yüksek hızlı tren

    High-speed train (YHT)

    Usage

    Abbreviated YHT, running Ankara–Istanbul, Ankara–Konya and Ankara–Sivas. Faster than the coach; book through the TCDD website or app

15. banliyö treni

    Suburban train

    Usage

    Commuter rail between the centre and the suburbs — İZBAN in İzmir and Başkentray in Ankara

16. vapur

    Vapur (city ferry)

    Usage

    Istanbul's municipal passenger boats. Routes such as Eminönü–Kadıköy are part of the ordinary transit network and cost a normal fare with an İstanbulkart. Thirty minutes on deck with a glass of tea is a sightseeing trip in itself

17. deniz otobüsü

    Sea bus (fast catamaran)

    Usage

    Literally "sea bus": an enclosed fast catamaran, quicker than the vapur, used for the Princes' Islands and crossings to Yalova and Bursa. Operated by İDO and BUDO

18. feribot

    Car ferry

    Usage

    The big boats that take vehicles — the Dardanelles crossing at Çanakkale, Bodrum–Datça and the island routes

19. tekne

    Boat

    Usage

    The word for a pleasure or charter boat. The multi-day Aegean and Mediterranean cruise known as "mavi yolculuk", the blue voyage, is done on a wooden gulet

20. taksi

    Taxi

    Usage

    Turkish taxis are yellow. Say "Taksimetre lütfen" — meter please — when you get in. In Istanbul, apps like BiTaksi or İtaksi make metered fares much more reliable

21. servis

    Shuttle / company bus

    Usage

    The shuttle run by a workplace, school or hotel. Coach companies also run a free "servis" between the otogar and the town centre — ask at the ticket desk, "Servis var mı?"

22. havalimanı servisi

    Airport shuttle bus

    Usage

    In Istanbul, HAVAİST serves Istanbul Airport and HAVABÜS serves Sabiha Gökçen, running to points across the city. Cheaper and less fraught than a taxi when you have luggage

23. motosiklet

    Motorcycle

    Usage

    A small scooter is called a "scooter" or just "motor". The helmet is a "kask" and wearing one is compulsory

24. bisiklet

    Bicycle

    Usage

    A rental bike is "kiralık bisiklet". İzmir's waterfront and Konya are flat and easy; Istanbul, with its hills and traffic, is not

25. elektrikli scooter

    E-scooter

    Usage

    App-based sharing schemes operate in Istanbul, İzmir and Antalya. Riding on the pavement is banned in some zones, so watch the signs

26. uçak

    Airplane

    Usage

    Turkey's domestic network is extensive and flights to the east can undercut the coach. The airport is "havalimanı" (or "havaalanı")

27. ambulans

    Ambulance

    Usage

    Call 112 in an emergency. "Ambulans çağırın!" means "call an ambulance"

28. kiralık araba

    Rental car

    Usage

    "Araba kiralamak istiyorum" means "I'd like to rent a car". Motorways and some bridges charge automatically through an HGS sticker on the windscreen — check the rental has one

29. kamyon

    Truck

    Usage

    A small van is a "kamyonet". On mountain roads trucks crawl, so allow time for overtaking

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