Transportation Field Note

Abstract: A short blurb about this article:
I like to compare transportation to a rainbow. A rainbow has many different colors and each is unique and special in its own way. Just like a rainbow, transportation methods are very different, but when they are all put together they create a lovely picture. The colors of a rainbow are like the different types of transportation in Istanbul! There are buses, cars, trains, boats, taxis and planes all in one city. Walking and riding a bike are also wonderful forms of transportation. Istanbul, Turkey is the most colorful rainbow of transportation! You can’t find a horse and buggy in the streets of the city, but you can find trams, trolleys, motorcycles and more! Whether it is going to the grocery store or going to a restaurant down the road, finding the quickest way to get there is always an exciting adventure!

When I was younger, my sisters and I used to carpool with friends to school every day. On certain days my Dad would take us to school and on other days our friend’s Grandpa would drive the five of us. I really loved to carpool because I got to talk with my friend, Michelle, on our way to school every morning. How do you get to school? We did not have a bus to take us to school so carpooling was very helpful for our moms and dads. Even though a lot of people drive cars in Turkey, public transportation is the easiest way to get around. There are big buses that take people to places further away and there are smaller buses that drive people around their neighborhoods. It is really fun and easy! Just like carpooling, I get to sit and talk with my friends on our way to our destination. People listen to music, talk on their phones and even catch up on their homework on the bus! Just like the bus, the underground subway is a very popular way to get around the city. Istanbul is very large and more than ten million people are here working every day! That means there is a lot of traffic. Do you like traffic? Traffic is a part of transportation everywhere but when we take the subway or the bus it is very easy to avoid. I am very happy when buses, cars, trains, planes and boats run on time and work together. 

How do people get around?: 

People get from place to place using cars, buses, taxis, subways, and even boats! Like most people, I prefer to take a bus to where I need to go.

How did I feel when I tried this way of getting around?: 

I feel very comfortable taking buses in Istanbul. There are people of every age on the bus and they make themselves at home when they take a seat. People eat, talk on their phones or even take naps. It is a place to relax while you get to where you need to go.


The city is separated by a body of water, so getting easily from one side of Istanbul to the other is very important. In that way, transportation has become its own culture. I have seen people lend strangers bus money because without that bus they have a long and difficult journey home. Turkish transportation is not always on-time, but a late bus is not something that people get very upset over. It is a culture of trust in transportation because without transportation life would be pretty complicated!


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