Three Turkish firms win tender for shuttle bus transfer services to new Istanbul airport

ISTANBUL - Demirören News Agency

A consortium comprised of three Turkish companies has won a tender to offer shuttle bus transfer services from and to the new Istanbul airport, which is slated to open on Oct. 29, the day Turkey marks Republic Day.

On Sept. 4, the Altur-Havaş-Free Turizm consortium won the tender in a 475.5 million Turkish Lira ($71.2 million) bid, including VAT.

Two other companies, Platform Turizm and Sarılar Turizm, also offered their bid, but the offer of the latter was found ineligible by the tender commission.

Subject to relevant approvals, the operating period for the consortium is a 10-year period, starting from the opening date of the new Istanbul airport.

“The operations are going to be carried out with 150 buses on 18 different routes in Istanbul,” TAV, the owner of Havaş, said in a statement to the Public Disclosure Platform following the conclusion of the tender.

The consortium is expected to carry 75,000 passengers between 18 routes in the city center and the new airport on a daily basis for a fee between 12 liras ($1.8) and 30 liras ($4.5). No fee will be charged for children younger than six.

The longest route will be between Pendik on the Asian side and the airport with 93 kilometers (57.8 miles).

The highest frequency will be between the Yenikapı-Sirkeci districts and the airport with trips every 11 minutes on a daily basis.