Recently, some friends came through town and mentioned that they would have liked The Best of Bursa to offer a little more information about using the Bursa public transportation system. As we’d like to make The Best of Bursa as useful and informative as possible, I thought such a post would be good idea. So to that end, here’s an overview of Bursa’s major modes of public transportation. I hope future visitors to Bursa finds this information helpful.

BursaKart: The Ticket to Bursa Public Transportation
They key to using Bursa public transportation is the Smart BursaKart (BuKart). The BursaKart is a plastic card that serves as a reusable ticket on city buses, trams, and metros. (It also can be used to pay for some public toilets and to pay the entry fee in some museums.) To use your BursaKart, place it in front of the scanner when entering a metro station or when boarding a city bus or tram. The appropriate fee will be automatically deducted from the credit contained on your BursaKart. 

Automated ticket kiosk screen

You can buy your Smart BursaKart (3.50 TL) at Burulaş offices or at automated ticket kiosks at any metro station in the city. When purchasing your BursaKart, be sure to also purchase plenty of credit for transportation fares (typical one-way fares cost 2-3 TL, see current fare rates here). You can purchase more credit for your BursaKart at any time using the automated ticket kiosks or at some corner markets and street kiosks. Unfortunately, the automated ticket kiosks do not at this time offer service in languages other than Turkish. So when you approach a ticket kiosk, select BURSAKART SATINAL to purchase your BursaKart. Then insert the appropriate amount of cash. Once the machine has issued your BursaKart, you can then place your newly minted card on the kiosk card reader and select DOLUM YAP to add more credit to your card. If you know you will only be traveling one-way, you can also buy one-way, single-use tickets by selecting the BILET SATINAL option on the kiosk.

Buses, trams, and metros accept pre-purchased tickets and BursaKarts only—they do not take cash. Please note, however, that the BursaKart is not accepted in taxis or dolmuşes (private minibuses). Those modes are cash only.

BursaRay: Bursa’s Metro
There are two metro lines that run through Bursa. Line 1 runs from Emek on the northwest side of town to Arabayatağı in the eastern district of Yıldırım. Line 2 runs from Üniversite to the far eastern towns of Kestel and Gürsü. Both lines run directly under the city center and make stops at the centrally located Merinos, Osmangazi, Şehreküstü, and Demirtaşpaşa stations. The metro system runs each day from early in the morning until around midnight with departures every 9 or 10 minutes. The metro is a fast and easy way to transit the city.

See a plan of the city metro system here.

City Buses
The city bus network is extensive—there are more than 200 bus routes leading to and from all ends of the city. Departure times vary by route and time of day. City buses come in two colors: yellow and blue-green. For practical purposes, there’s no difference between the two, and both bus types accept BursaKarts as payment.

You can see a complete bus route list here, but I’ve listed a few of the more tourist-appealing routes below.
– 1/GY: Mudanya IDO ferry terminal ↔ Emek metro station
– 1/M: Mudanya BUDO ferry terminal ↔ Emek metro station
– 1/C: City center ↔ Īnkaya
– 5/G: Küçük Sanayi metro station ↔ Gölyazı
– 22: City center ↔ Cumalıkızık
– 38: Intercity bus terminal ↔ City center
– 48: City center ↔ Uludağ University
– 93: Intercity bus terminal ↔ Uludağ University
– 94: Intercity bus terminal ↔ Teleferik (mountain cable car)
– 96: Intercity bus terminal ↔ Çekirge
– B-20/A and B-20/B: Acemler metro station ↔ Misi village
– D-19: Arabayatağı metro station ↔ Saitabat
– F-1: Mudanya ↔ Intercity bus terminal
– F-3: Mudanya ↔ Teleferik (mountain cable car)
– 1/A, 2/E, 29/A, 3/C, 48/A, 9/P-A, E-12: City center ↔ Çekirge/Muradiye

Burtram: Bursa’s Tram Lines
There are two tram lines in the city center. The green and white tram (T3) runs in a straight line right through the center from Zafer Plaza to Çınarönü. Use this line to get to places like Emirsultan and Yıldırım. The red tram (T1) conveniently circles the city center and makes stops at important locations such as Kent Meydanı (Osmangazi), Kültürpark, Altıparmak, Timurtaşpaşa, Ulu Camii, and Heykel.  If you’re wanting to get from one point to another in the city center and you don’t want to hoof it, the trams are a really nice option. Cost for a ride is 1 TL and BursaKarts are accepted as payment.

See a route map for the two tram lines here.

Judging by billboards up all over town, a third tram line is in the works that will connect the intercity bus terminal and Kent Meydanı in the city center. This will certainly be a welcome option for those travel to Bursa by bus.

Bursa’s public transportation bureau is called Burulaş. You can visit the Burulaş website at www.burulas.com.tr. Burulaş offers an app for iPhone and Android devices to help you plan travel routes and times. However, I have typically found the independently designed TRAFI app to be more reliable and user-friendly for such purposes.

Coming soon: a new tram line from bus terminal to city center

If the public modes of transportation don’t get you where you want to go, there are always taxis and dolmuşes. Taxis are plentiful in the city center and are usually a convenient way to get around. A dolmuş is a private minibus or car that runs a set route through the city. You can know where a dolmuş is going by reading the side of the minibus or the sign on the top of the car. If you’re standing on a dolmuş route and you see a dolmuş heading in your direction, just flag it down and hop in. You can ride for a price that is considerably less than a cab—most dolmuş rides are 2 or 3 TL. Taxis and dolmuşes accept cash only.

There you have it. Bursa public transportation is convenient and economical and usually a good way to get around town. For information on traveling to Bursa from outside of town, see this article about buses or this article about ferries. Or see more travel suggestions on our Basic City Info page. Īyi yolculuklar!