New Routes in Diyarbakır: Count the Time Spent at the Stop Too

Diyarbakır’s public transport routes are being reorganized. Studying passenger demand, travel time, and capacity through scientific methods is an important and overdue step. In a city of more than 1.8 million people that has expanded rapidly in recent years, particularly in Kayapınar and Bağlar, it is unsurprising that routes drawn years ago no longer meet today’s needs.

But discussing public transport only through bus numbers and route maps leaves something missing. What matters most to a resident is how long it takes, and under what conditions, to get from home to work, school, or a hospital.

A route may look short on paper. Add waiting for transfers, irregular service, and traffic congestion, however, and the journey stretches on. An extra half hour on the road every working day amounts to approximately 120 hours a year—five full days. Planning therefore needs to measure the total door-to-door time, rather than kilometers alone.

Not everyone’s day starts at the same hour

A public employee needing to arrive by eight, a nurse leaving a night shift, and a trader heading to market early have different needs. If service frequency is determined solely from daily averages, some passengers are left outside the system. Data collection should continue after route changes; morning, evening, and weekend demand should be monitored separately.

Route changes may be technically sound. But inadequate explanation creates considerable confusion in the first weeks. Which stop was removed? Where is the new transfer point? How often do services run? How will older and disabled passengers be affected? Answers should be shared through simple maps, stop notices, and accessible digital channels. Printed information at stops for older residents without smartphones must not be forgotten.

People often react because they are exhausted by uncertainty, rather than opposed to change itself.

Regular publication of passenger demand, delay rates, and the proportion of scheduled services actually operated would help the public understand decisions. Such data would also be valuable to academics at Dicle University, professional associations, and interested residents. Solutions can come from every part of the city, as well as the municipality.

The experience inside the vehicle matters as much as the route. In Diyarbakır’s summer heat, which exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, working air conditioning, cleanliness, the driver’s attitude, stop announcements, and overcrowding directly influence whether people choose public transport. Without a comfortable, safe journey, everyone with the means will continue to turn to private cars, worsening traffic.

A review a few months later will reveal the success of the new routes more clearly than launch-day publicity. Publishing figures showing how journey times have changed in the third month would be the municipality’s strongest demonstration that this work is being taken seriously.