Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality is renewing its public transportation vehicle fleet. The Metropolitan Municipality, which has started a comfortable and safe period in public transportation with the new generation 644 vehicles and the ever-expanding tram line in urban transportation, is also withdrawing private public buses over the age of 18 from traffic.
BREAKING NEWS IN METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION
Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality draws attention with its groundbreaking works in transportation. Kocaeli, which is an exemplary city model with its investments in transportation among metropolitan municipalities, also makes a name for itself in public transportation. Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, which built dual carriageways, tunnels, intersections, overpasses, bridges, has created a public transportation network worthy of these roads.
TRAM IN URBAN TRANSPORTATION
While great distances have been covered in our country with huge investments in the railway sector, Kocaeli has an important share of this progress. While Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality has managed to create a different transportation system for the first time in the history of the city with its innovative steps in transportation, one of the most important investments of the Metropolitan Municipality was to introduce the light rail system, which is both economical and environmentally friendly, to urban transportation. The Metropolitan Municipality, which has eased the transportation between İzmit Kuruçeşme and the Bus Station and İzmit Kocaeli City Hospital with the tram line, continues its determination to expand this network even further. Work continues on the tram line between the Bus Station and Alikahya Stadium, which is 3,8 km long. When this work is completed, urban transportation will become faster and more comfortable.
METRO LINES
Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality is preparing to introduce the city to a new transportation system. Work continues on the Gebze OSB-Darıca Sahil Metro Line, which was designed and constructed by Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality in 2018 and then transferred to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. The metro line, which will have a travel time of 40 minutes and a total length of 30,8 kilometers, will serve 330 thousand passengers per day. The work is aimed to significantly reduce the traffic load of the Gebze region. Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality also pressed the button for the Northern Metro line, which will connect Körfez, Derince, İzmit and Kartepe, one of the most important transportation projects in Turkey, with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. The 26,85-kilometer metro line project, the tender for which has been completed and the site has been delivered, will carry approximately 300 thousand passengers per day on the east-west axis of Kocaeli.
644 ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY BUSES
Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality is also expanding its bus fleet, which provides urban transportation services, day by day. In this context, “Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, which added 2021 new buses to its fleet, 125 in 2022, 90 in 2023, 10 in 2024 and 90 in 315, has reached 644. 12-meter CNG (Compressed Natural Gas)-fueled environmentally friendly and low-floor BMC buses have a 5-year spare parts and service warranty. There is a collision and driver warning system in the 90-passenger capacity buses. In addition, the buses have a more powerful engine system compared to their peers with fuel economy, ramp traction performance. Comfort is prioritized in the buses. The vehicle has the latest model fire warning extinguishing system, ergonomic nano-technology anti-bacteria seat, preferred seats with phosphorus-like visuals specially designed for babies, pregnant women and the elderly, and electronic passenger information screens.
BUSES FOR OVER 18 YEARS OF AGE ARE STARTING
Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, which renewed its bus fleet, is also withdrawing public buses over 18 years old from traffic as a result of the UKOME decision it made. Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, which did not issue operating licenses for buses of 2006 model and below, banned 2024 private public buses falling into this category from traffic in 62 until they became suitable. In addition, UKOME decided to renew 2025 private public buses over 18 years old for 172. The Metropolitan Municipality, just as it removed vehicles over 18 years old from traffic, also made it mandatory for buses between 15 and 18 years old to obtain a certificate of conformity every year. When deemed necessary, the Metropolitan Municipality requires maintenance and repairs to be carried out in order for the buses to be put back into traffic. Buses in this age range are not issued operating licenses without obtaining conformity from the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Transportation Department every year.
EASY ACCESS TO ISTANBUL AND THE AIRPORT
Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality offers solutions for intercity transportation as well as urban transportation. The Metropolitan Municipality, which will ease the traffic between Kocaeli and Istanbul with the Gebze-Darıca Metro Line, has also managed to bring the urban public transportation service to the mega city. This work of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, which provides public transportation service between the Bus Station and Kartal with Line 200, is welcomed not only by Kocaeli but also by citizens living in Istanbul. Citizens who want to travel between the two cities prefer Marmaray and metro lines integrated with Line 200. Public transportation service between Izmit Bus Station-Sabiha Gökçen Airport with Line 250 and Gebze Bus Station-Sabiha Gökçen Airport with Line 250, offers citizens the opportunity to reach the airport at any time of the day.
