LangMedia

Turkish in Turkey


Dolmus

A line of yellow dolmus minibuses

A Turkish minibus is called a Dolmus. A Dolmus has more destinations than a city bus but costs less than a taxi. To get a dolmus at its place of origin, go to one of the dolmus stations located throughout the city. Each dolmus has a destination name on it but to find out its intermediate stops it is necessary to ask the driver. Each route is set, so it is necessary to find out the stops before entering the dolmus. A dolmus leaves every thirty minutes, or sooner if each of its fourteen seats is full. This is not a problem during the day when there are many people using the service; it can take longer at night. Having located the correct dolmus, one enters and pays the driver or the driver's helper, usually a young teenager. It is possible to hail a dolmus once it is already on its route; if there is space available, the driver will let additional passengers board.


Videos

  • "Finding the Correct Dolmus"
    Transcript document:
  • "Scenes from the Dolmus Stop"
    No transcript
  • "A Dolmus Ride"
    No transcript
  • "Dolmus Call"
    Transcript document:
  • "Passing Money to the Driver"
    Transcript document:

Audio

Click on the text to hear the spoken phrase.
  • "Do you go to the bazaar?"

    Follow this link to hear the phrase in Turkish
  • "Can you pass the money to the driver?"

    Follow this link to hear the phrase in Turkish
  • "I would like to get off here."

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Images

  • Dolmus line
    Sign indicating the dolmus with the destination written underneath
  • Dolmus sign
    Close-up of a dolmus sign