EGO and Dolmus Fares in Ankara

As of today a city court decision has drastically cut the EGO and Dolmus prices to a mere 90 Kurus for the bus and 1 TL for the Dolmus.  This price is half of the new price that was implemented January 1 2010. 

Monday March 7 will be difficult to travel on, especially during the morning rush hour.  In protest against the new prices on the EGO, the Dolmus' will not be running until 10am.  Also, bus schedule will be irregular after 7pm tonight. 

As of now, your EGO cards will show the TAM (full price) as 90 Kurus.  If you have purchased a multiple use card, the left over money can be claimed in the metro stations.  The Dolmus is now charging 1TL.

Increased Fares for EGO in Ankara 2010

As of Jan 1 2010 the metro, buses and dolmus' in Ankara have increased their fares to:

Metro Adult: 1.85TL
Metro Student: 1.10TL
Bus Adult: 1.85TL
Bus Student: 1.85TL
Dolmus: 1.85TL
Dolmus (long ride): 2.00TL

Passing Money: Customs on the Domus and Bus

On the buses and dolmus', you will be asked many times to pass money to the driver, especially if you are sitting near the cash booth or dolmus driver. You will then be expected to pass the change back. It is important to know the word "kisi", or "person", so you can understand how many fares the person passing money is buying and can tell the driver. For example, bir kisi or iki kisi.

Getting on and off the Dolmus

For non-Turkish speakers, getting off the Dolmus is sometimes a very stressful experience. You may want to sit near the driver, so that you can quietly say whatever Turkish you can muster until he understands and lets you off. If you are at the back of the dolmus, get up and stand by the doors to signal to the driver you will be wanting to get off soon. For basic Turkish users, try saying "burada lutfen" (here please). For intermediate Turkish users, say "inecek var", pronounced "in ejek var", which loosely translates to "someone is getting off". For those who feel they cannot use Turkish at all, or clam up and get nervous, jump off when someone else stops the dolmus near your destination. Not the best way, but its a start!

Pricing and Paying on the Dolmus

The dolmus' in Ankara cost 1.85 TL. You can relax with the dolmus, and sit down first to sort out your money because you can pay at anytime during your ride. The driver will accept your fare even while he is driving. The best part is that there is a custom of passing up fares to the front of the dolmus. If you sit at the front, often you will spend your whole ride passing money forward and passing money back. Note: If you are travelling a longer route on the dolmus, such as from Kizilay to Oran, it may cost 2.00 TL. There are little lamenated signs with pricing usually stuck somewhere on the roof or side of the driver area.

Using the Dolmus versus the Buses

The dolmus' in Ankara run on the back streets, and not on the main streets such as Ataturk Blvd. You can hail them down at any point on the street, they do not have specific stops. Also, you can ask to get off at any point as well. They are privately run; whereas the buses are run by the city. They are very convenient because they run very frequently and the wait time is less than the bus. One problem is that there is no student price on the dolmus.