Within the scope of the "EU Support for Promoting Sustainable Urban Mobility in Turkish Cities" (SUMP Türkiye) Project, co-financed by the Republic of Türkiye and the European Union, under USOP, with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure as the Contracting Authority and the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye as the End Beneficiary, the Training Programme titled “Bus Planning and Paratransit Management” was held on 29–30 April 2025.
Moderated by SUMP Türkiye
Project Team Leader Volkan Recai Çetin (PhD) and opened with an introductory
address by Gülru Eraslan, representative of the Union of Turkish
Municipalities, the two-day training programme continued with presentations by
Rupprecht Consult experts Shreesha Vaidhya and László Sándor Kerényi. The
programme covered:
📚 The role of buses in urban mobility
📚 Environment-friendly bus fleet
transformation strategies
📚 Accessible bus systems for all,
based on inclusive design principles
📚 Opportunities and integration
strategies offered by paratransit
📚 Detailed case studies and
modernisation practices from around the world
The purpose
of the training was to enhance the capacity of participating municipalities to
plan bus-based public transport systems and strengthen inter-institutional
cooperation in paratransit, as well as to provide the knowledge and
methodologies necessary to make their public transport systems more accessible,
sustainable, and integrated.
On the first
day of the training, the morning sessions focused on the role of buses in urban
life, technological innovations in bus systems and strategies for transitioning
the existing fleet to cleaner buses.
In the afternoon
session, participants mapped bus systems across different regions of Türkiye,
analysing existing challenges and opportunities. In the design activity
entitled “Bus System for All,” routes and fare structures were reconfigured to
meet the needs of all user groups—particularly elderly people, persons with
disabilities, students and women passengers. The day concluded with a “Gallery
Walk and Action Steps” session, during which each group shared its key
insights.
On the second
day, the focus was on paratransit. In the morning session, the concept of
paratransit, flexible operating models and the social and economic contributions
of these services were discussed. The presentations highlighted the
institutionalisation and integration potential of dolmuş and minibus systems in
Türkiye. Shreesha Vaidhya and László Sándor Kerényi presented scenarios on
digitalisation (real-time tracking, smart ticketing) and integration with
formal public transport, while various case studies from Nairobi to Pretoria
illustrated how these strategies could be adapted to Türkiye.
During the afternoon
interactive session, models were developed to facilitate collaboration between
formal bus routes and paratransit services. Participants drafted roadmaps
centred on national policy alignment, financing mechanisms and peer-to-peer
experience sharing among municipalities. In the second “Gallery Walk and Action
Steps” session at the end of the training, they articulated the measures they
plan to implement in their own cities regarding paratransit in the coming
period.