Planning and construction

Construction of the first section of the busway, between Avcılar (serving Istanbul University's Avcılar campus) and Topkapı started in 2005.^[7]

Operation

The busway opened on September 17, 2007.^[7] It was then extended in an easterly direction from Topkapı to Zincirlikuyu, and then from Zincirlikuyu to Söğütlüçeşme, the latter of which is on the Anatolian side of Istanbul. In 2012, it was extended from Avcılar to a western residential suburb, Beylikdüzü.^[8]

Reliability and safety

It has been suggested that Phileas buses, which are now rarely used, were underpowered and not strong enough to carry heavy passenger loads and climb steep hills typical of the topography of Istanbul. The hillclimbing aspect of this perception, though widely reported by the press, does not appear to have much evidential basis.^[12]

İETT's stated loading capacity (no. of people) for Phileas buses was considerably higher than that of the manufacturer. According to Phileas manufacturer APTS, the total capacity of the Phileas buses bought by İETT was 185 passengers.^[13] In comparison, former İETT president Mehmet Öztürk stated that the buses could safely operate with upwards of 280 passengers.^[14]

The single-lane Metrobus roads are frequently blocked by Phileas buses breaking down, causing delays for the all buses in a single direction.^[15][16] In May 2009, then-İETT president Mehmet Öztürk invited press members to "falsify untrue allegations against the Phileas brand buses". During the demonstration, another Phileas bus operating on the same lane broke down, thus blocking the route of the press bus for approximately five minutes. Öztürk later argued that the accident was the result of operator error.^[14] Also in 2009, İETT dismissed concerns regarding their institutional incompetence and the design of Phileas buses, citing "the very high loading at peak hours as the reason for malfunctioning rather than the road slope."^[3]

Phileas buses were designed with the capacity to use an electronic guided bus system.^[17] Öztürk pointed out that the guided bus system ensured that Phileas buses were safer than others, and that, even in the case of a front tire blowing out at speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour, the vehicle would not crash.^[14] Despite his confidence in the safety of Phileas buses, one caught on fire in early 2015, further deepening concerns amongst the press and the Istanbulite public regarding their reliability and safety.^[18]

The manufacturers of the Phileas buses, APTS, were taken to court in 2010 by İETT over the failures.^[19] In 2017, CHP MP Gürsel Tekin stated that former Minister of the Interior Beşir Atalay, along with other members of the AKP cabinet, twice prevented the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) from initiating an investigation into the matter.^[20] An official investigation was launched by the government with the company.

Finances and corruption allegations

The purchase of the Phileas buses was widely criticized in media as a waste of resources.^[3] In 2007, each Phileas bus cost 1.2 million Euros,^{[lower-alpha 2]} and a total of 63 million Euros was paid by İETT to acquire 50 of them. In contrast, a Mercedes-Benz Capacity only cost 300 thousand Euros,^{[lower-alpha 3]} and proved to be much more useful for the Metrobus. In 2008, civil service inspectors from the Ministry of the Interior uncovered 100 million Euros worth of irregular financial transactions in the İETT, chiefly relating to the purchase of the Phileas fleet. Their report to the Ministry, implicating high-ranking İETT officials including former president Mehmet Öztürk, indicated that the 63 million Euro purchase was made without a tender. By the request of the inspectors, a judicial investigation into İETT leadership was initiated by the Beyoğlu Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor, with Öztürk providing a written testimony.^[21]