— Aksaray, Aksrayyyyy…
— Yes, those who cannot send their wages, those who wait for change?
– Did anyone stay behind?
– There is a suitable place to get off…
— How many people did we take from here?
— Kartal, Pendik…

You have heard these phrases all your life Go to the starting point and say “From where to where!” Are you ready to be a guest in a story that will make you say it?

Let’s take you back to the thirties, when the streets of Istanbul were much quieter.

Of course, there were no Magiruses with German Deutz engines at that time, and no Peugeot J9s either. Public transport vehicles from the period; trams, a small number of buses and about 600 taxis. However Taking a taxi was a luxury.

eruption in 1929 of the Great Depression Like the whole world, Türkiye was also affected. As customers increasingly turned to the tram, taxi drivers found it difficult, even thinking about changing jobs.

Then a driver came up with a brilliant idea!

A man named Halit, who was a cook at his own restaurant, watched the drivers coming and going to his restaurant and envied him. Chef Halit, following his passion, He sold his restaurant and bought a Ford car and started working as a driver.

He was also good with the tourists coming and going to his restaurant. subscription customer It went well because he liked it. He picked up his customer, a Jewish businessman, from Nişantaşı every day and dropped them off in Eminönü every day.

Later, however, his client was also hit by economic problems. Chef Halit made a suggestion to his customer that he didn’t want to lose. to your customer, 3 more people going the same way He said if he found it he could take them for the same price. So 4 people would share the price of one person.

Halit puts these clients to work in the morning and begins to apply the same method at other hours.

Halit approached the crowd waiting at the tram stops, “For the tram money I go to Taksim” He brought 4 people to his taxi. While the inhabitants of Istanbul watched taxis from afar, which used to be available only to the wealthy, they could now get on them themselves. In addition, there was no scuffle in the tram or bus and they could get to their destination faster.

And so the first minibus line in Turkey between Karaköy and Taksim was born. The fee was 10 cents.

Other taxi drivers also saw Chef Halit eat the bread of this idea well and said it’s better than sitting still. They also followed fashion.

It later became a situation that caught the attention of the press. In the news of Cumhuriyet newspaper “Some drivers with old cars have started on some lines with a fee of ten cents per person by taking customers as buses, so they want to run 60 cars between Karaköy-Beyoğlu and Eminönü-Taksim. The municipality does not allow such cars to drive.” was writing.

Republic, on September 15, 1931 “What’s it called? No taxi, no bus!” In his article titled, he included the following sentences: We wrote in yesterday’s issue that some taxis decided to let three men drive as a bus between Beyoğlu and Istanbul for ten cents, but the municipality did not approve (not allowed). Yesterday some cars drove like this, drivers were in different districts, ‘A man for ten cents’ they started screaming. However, these movements are prohibited by the municipality. The drivers rightly say that it is not illegal to drive a car in this way and that they transport people cheaper than a taxi.

The municipality did not really like this system.

Galata Bridge – 1930 (Photo: Faik Şenol)

Due to loss of tram customers The police tried to prevent this system, but failed, the minibus system grew like an avalanche.

The Chauffeursbond submitted an application to the municipality with the signatures of 50 drivers and demanded that this system become legal, but the municipality was stubborn. Fewer passengers drivers of tram companies He was also quite angry. In time, both the press and the public adopted the taxis, but the council resisted them for many years.

Drivers preferred American brands that produced large cars such as De Söto, Chevrolet and Ford to carry more passengers.

Ford’s Tophane Automobile Assembly Factory

Some of these were from used cars offered for sale by consulates. However, those who find this width insufficient take the cars to the repair shops and by cutting them in half and lengthening them They made it for 7-8 people when it was 4-5 people.

In 1954, 23 years after the appearance of the first minibus, the stubbornness of the municipality was broken.

The municipality, which officially recognized the dolmuş service, issued the first rate. For example, the dolmuş line, which was only 4, increased to 150. Vehicles have also become more modern. In 1965 minibuses the share in public transport had risen to 30%.

In the following years, the demand for minibuses decreased. Alternatives such as bus and metro were effective.

During the peak period of minibuses, minivans with many more seats appeared. What we call dolmuş is actually “taxi dolmuş”.. Minibuses are different, the number of passengers they take on average is about 14. The minivans took 4-8 ​​passengers.

Taxis are especially well known in Istanbul, Izmir and Bursa. They usually work in central locations.

Minibuses have certain hours, but minibuses run when they are full, As you can guess, the name comes from here.