Taxis in Istanbul are a convenient means of transportation around the city, and a short trip or a trip with three or four people can be quite affordable.
Taxi services in Istanbul
Official taxis are yellow cars (mostly represented by brands such as Renault and Fiat) with a Taksi badge on the roof.
Finding a taxi in Istanbul you will not have any problems - they are waiting for passengers at ports, railway stations, airports, in popular tourist places, as well as at city taxi stands (you will recognize them by the sign “Umumaaciktaksi”). Taxis often slow down and follow pedestrians: don't be alarmed - this is how drivers draw attention to themselves (if you need a taxi, you can use the services of a stopped car). You can call a taxi by the following numbers: + 90-212-517-00-09; + 90-533-467-07-24; + 90-212-517-00-13.
Not sure how to tell the driver where you need to get? Show him the place on a map of Istanbul, or speak the name of the destination in Turkish or English. And if you wish, you can ask for help from the Russian-speaking employees of hotels, bars or shopping centers - they will call a taxi and explain to the driver.
Sea taxi in Istanbul
Istanbul Ferries is engaged in the provision of sea taxi services - to call it, you need to send an sms or call 444-44-36. In such a taxi, both cash and credit cards are accepted for payment (every 1852 m cost $ 9-13, the cost of a trip during the day is from $ 13, and at night - from $ 17).
Taxi cost in Istanbul
If you are interested in how much a taxi costs in Istanbul, pay attention to the current tariff schedule:
- boarding costs passengers 3, 5-4, 5 lira;
- each kilometer traveled costs 1, 8-2, 3 lira;
- the cost of waiting and downtime in traffic jams - 0, 3 lira (the countdown starts after a 3-minute downtime).
For example, a trip from Ataturk airport to Taxim will cost 45 lira, from Ataturk airport to Sultanahmet - 40 liras, from Sabiha Gokcen airport to Taxim - 82 lira.
The fare must be paid in Turkish lira, but if you want to pay in currency, you must warn the driver about this in advance (in this case, the trip will be more expensive).
In order not to be deceived, follow the meter readings (at the beginning of the trip, the meter must be turned on and reset to zero - it should display the landing price) and keep in mind that there are no night and day fares in Istanbul (fare is paid at the same rate) ! In addition, there are no surcharges for travel from the airport, as well as surcharges for the number of passengers. The only additional payments that a passenger must make is to pay for travel on bridges across the Bosphorus.
It is quite safe to resort to taxi services in Istanbul, and knowing some of the nuances described above, you will not become a victim of unscrupulous drivers.
