You may remember that we are very fond of public transportation, not least because it means we don’t need to own a car or drive in traffic. Every place we’ve been so far has had excellent public transportation, and Istanbul is no different. What is different about Istanbul is the scale.
Our previous destinations have all been cities but relatively small ones. Oxford’s population is about 162,000. Oslo and Helsinki are both in the 600,000 range, and Stockholm is just under a million. Istanbul, by contrast, is a city of anywhere from 17 to 20 million, depending on whom you ask and how you count. Four times as many people live in Istanbul as live in all of Norway.
We knew about big cities, of course, from our days in New York (a mere 8.4 million). But we didn’t quite remember what being in such a large city entails. We’ve been in in Mumbai (20 million) and Mexico City (9 million), but only as tourists. Istanbul has quickly reminded us what it’s like to live in a big city. You are rarely alone in Istanbul, since there are crowds everywhere – and we’re not talking about the tourists!
Which brings us to public transportation. In Istanbul it is cheap, reliable, and plentiful. Because it is, and because the road traffic is horrendous, everyone uses it. And that’s where the challenge comes in.
So far, we have used three modes: tram, metro, and boat. Remember that Istanbul not only is divided in two on one side by the Golden Horn, but also spans two continents. You usually have to take a boat to get across the Bosporus from the European side to the Asian side. Commuters do it every day, and we think it’s cool that you can live on one continent and work on another! (A train also runs under the Bosporus , but it doesn’t connect directly with the metro – and anyway, the boat is prettier.)
Our most common form of transportation so far has been the tram. That’s probably because it’s a two-minute walk from our flat and it goes to most of the places we’ve wanted to go. It’s amazingly cheap: about 40¢ or 30p per trip. And it’s always crowded, no doubt because it’s efficient and cheap. So our main challenges have been: (1) getting on the tram; (2) finding something to hold onto while on the tram; and (3) getting off the tram.
One of us – we’ll leave you to guess which one – has no trouble plunging right it. And you really do have to push. Istanbullus, like riders in lots of places, tend to congregate around the doors. And very often when you look in, there seems to be no place to go. We have learned from the natives that there is almost always some space, even if it means that you are then scrunched in between people, and the only thing that keeps you from falling over is that there is no place to fall – or indeed even to move! And of course there is always a family with a stroller or someone going to the airport with a gigantic suitcase.
But even here there are benefits. John made a new friend the other day, when the train lurched forward and he fell against a nice young man who offered to support him the rest of the trip. He put his hand on John’s shoulder and didn’t let go, even when the tram cleared out a little and John could hold on! But we acquiesced in this nice gesture, because after all travel is about making new acquaintances. No doubt there is more of this sort of thing in store.
