SIDE LOCAL TRANSPORT

A shuttle bus runs regularly from the Four Seasons that will go to the beach in Kumkoy and then onto Side town centre, which also has the beach as well as the town.

To get to Side you can also use the local bus service which is very cheap.

If you want to go to other places such as Alanya there is a local bus station that has regular buses for very cheap prices, running to places like this.  You can also book trips with agents that take you around the area.

In order to move around within Side and surrounding areas, there are 2 modes of transport.

• Taxi’s 
• Dolmus’s  (Dohl-moosh)

Taxis are available locally:-
An example: from Side town to Manavgat town approximate cost will be between £10-£15.00

All taxis have meters and should use them (except inter-city journeys);  if the driver tries to haggle point to the meter  and say ‘taksi-meter’  …. Usually metered journeys are cheaper;  at night fares can be 50% dearer than daytime.  It is not normal to tip taxi drivers, but you do usually round up to the nearest YTL.

Dolmus’s are a cheaper mode of transport but unfortunately they don’t pass by your front door; however they are very easily accessible. In almost all cases you will need to walk a short distance from your apartment to have access to a Dolmus service. The Turkish dolmus is a minibus that serves the coastal area of Turkey. In general, Dolmus Services cover a wide network of destinations and they display their final destinations on the front windscreen. Please check with the driver if you are not clear of the final destination.

In town they have designated STOPS but as a rule you can hail them to stop at anywhere on their route.
A fun way to travel with the locals and the fare is very cheap compared to Taxi’s; however, be prepared to travel in quite crowded conditions.
     
An example: round trip Side town to Manavgat town fare is 3YTL

How to use the Dolmus:

• First off, there are no bus stops. Your best bet is to stand by a shop or restaurant along its route and hold your hand out as if hailing a taxi. You'll also be thankful of the shelter if the bus is running behind schedule.
• Expect a dolmus to come every 10 minutes or so on popular routes. When the dolmus stops double check with the driver that he's going where you want to be: Bodruma gidiyor musun?(Are you going to Bodrum?).
• Now take a seat and work out how much you have to pay from the price list, usually stuck above the windscreen.
• Hand the money to the person in the seat in front of you. It gets passed hand-to-hand, man to child to women, all the way up to the driver. He will make out the change when he gets a clear stretch of road with, if you're lucky, one hand on the wheel and hand it back as before, person to person.  Always try to give the driver the exact fare, for obvious reasons!
  
• When you want to stop, shout something appropriate (“Inecek Var”  (Een-eh-jeck vahr)  or even just “Stop”).