Municipality buys two types of vehicles for car-free Prince’s Islands
ISTANBUL - Anadolu Agency
Following the ban on horse-drawn carriages as a result of the killing of dozens of horses due to an outbreak of glanders, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has bought two types of electric vehicles for use on the islands off Istanbul’s coast, known as the Adalar (Princes’ Islands) district.
İbrahim Orhan Demir, the deputy secretary-general in the municipality, underlined that the citizens living on the islands and those visiting the district for touristic purposes have different travel demands.
He stated that different sizes and capacities are preferred for electric vehicles to be used for this reason.
A total of 60 vehicles were purchased, of which the service fee will be determined by the municipality’s Transportation and Coordination Center (UKOME).
Twenty of the Chinese-made vehicles will have a capacity of four people each and 40 of them will have a capacity of 13 people.
“These electric and environmentally-friendly vehicles are planned to be put into service before the summer season,” Demir noted.
On Dec. 20, the Istanbul Governor’s Office announced its decision to prohibit the use of horse-drawn carriages for three months.
Around 1,500 horses were used for transportation purposes on the Princes’ Islands, where vehicular traffic is banned.
