ANTALYA
Comfort of bus passengers is taken very seriously in Turkey's southern Antalya province. Passengers can warm up in cold and stormy days, while they can remain cool in sultry summer days thanks to air conditioners in bus stops.
The Transportation Coordinator of Antalya Municipality Ozgur Ceyran said that there were 34 air conditioned bus stops in the city with approximately 4,000 passengers using the stops per day. He explained that the stops were equipped with led screens that informed passengers about their bus lines and there were bookcases in the stops so that people could read books, magazines and newspaper at the stops. Passengers can also charge their electronic devises through power outlets in the stops.
This service is well received and passengers have been quoted as saying “We are not cold and we are not bored while waiting bus at these stops” and further added that they often charged their mobile phones while waiting for their bus.
The service started at the end of 2011. When it was first established, stops were planned with solar energy panels to generate their own energy supply. “Stops have electricity now. We applied to the Turkish Electricity Distribution Corporation (TEDAS) to legally be able to install solar energy panels at the stops, and we are awaiting for this legal procedure to be passed soon,” said officials of Antalya Municipality.
Antalya is one of the warmest cities in Turkey. The city is warm in winters too, but sometimes it can be stormy and cold so passengers have been sheltering at stations on cold days while they are waiting for buses. Likewise, passengers can avail of the air conditioning during the heat of summer.
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