Turkish Busses

Turkish Buses Luxurious and Travel from Bursa to Eskisehir

To put it in a very straight forward manner, the long distance busses in the west of Turkey are absolutely luxurious. To ride in one of them is like traveling in an airplane cabin on wheels. The busses are new, big, they run on time, and I have yet to be on one that was even filled to capacity, let alone crowded. On each bus that I have rode between the cities of Turkey there has also been a conductor on board whose job it was to deliver complimentary coffee, tea, and snacks to the passengers on call.

You no longer receive service like this on many of the world’s airlines, let alone a mere intra-country bus.
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Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
in Eskisehir, Turkey- March 18, 2009
Travelogue —Travel Photos –Travel Guide
Click on map to view route.

I rode out the 148 km, 2 hour and 15 minute, bus trip from Bursa to Eskisehir the day before yesterday. Turkish bus terminals in this part of the country seem to be large and have many different bus companies competing against each other. This means that a traveler is in prime territory for negotiating their fare.

At the bus terminal in Bursa, I was quoted prices to Eskisehir of 17, 15, and 13 Lira from various bus companies. I ended up paying 10 ($6.50).

In places where many different companies are selling the same thing in close proximity to each other, there is always room for negotiation. In circumstances where these companies have goons trying to attract your attention by yelling and screaming at you, there is usually extra leeway for getting a good price.

The more pressure someone puts on you to quickly purchase something, the cheaper you know you can get it for. Negotiate. I do not worry when I have fifty goons calling and screaming at me to buy their products or services, for this is a clear sign that their is competition, and competition means lower prices. I only become worried when vendors and ticket agents are completely ambivalent about me purchasing what they are selling, as this often means that I have few cheaper alternatives – and they know it.

I landed a good price on the ticket to Eskisehir, and had two hours of looking-out-the-window bus riding luxury. It was a sunny day when I left Bursa, but ended up in a storm as I entered Eskisehir. This city is clearly at a higher altitude, and is vastly colder than Bursa or Istanbul.

When traveling, altitude, almost more than latitude in many cases, is the prime indicator of climate: the highlands in the tropics can be nearly as cold as the northern or southern hemisphere’s respective winters. Eskisehir is not in the highlands, but it is at a higher altitude, and is therefore vastly colder than coastal Turkey.

Bus attendent giving out coffee, tea, bottled water, and other snacks.


The complimentary snacks offered on Turkish busses.


Turkish busses in the west of the country are like airplanes on wheels.



Route of travel through Turkey to Syria and the Middle East.

Turkish Buses Luxurious and Travel from Bursa to Eskisehir