İstanbul Reduces Public Transport Services, Releases Informative Video in Five Languages

Images: İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

As a preacution against the coronavirus pandemic, İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality has reduced public transport services and released an infographic and a video in five languages, including English.

While public transport use has been gradually decreasing in the metropolis of 16 million since the diease spread to Turkey, older people still extensively use services, according to İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

The usage statistics he shared on Twitter show that people above 65 years of age, who are known to be in the risk group of the disease, used public transport vehicles more than 185 thousand times on Wednesday (March 18). The numbers were 532 thousand on March 4 and 481 thousand on March 11, when Turkey confirmed its first case of Covid-19.

Public transport usage (Blue: People older than 60 Orange: People older than 65)

"In our public transportation analysis, it is seen that the usage rate of our older citizens who are in the risk group in terms of the epidemic disease is still high," İmamoğlu said in a tweet. "I would especially like to warn our older citizens; to protect yourselves, please stay away from public areas."

Recent #publictransport usage trends in #Istanbul by age group.

: #Istanbul Statistical Office @istatistikofisi pic.twitter.com/v2mKUnodU0

— Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (@municipalityist) March 20, 2020

As an additional precaution, the municipality has suspended 24/7 services and reduced the number of some bus services.

The Metropolitan Municipality also released an infographic and an animated video on the disease in five languages; Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, Persian and English. The video is shown on the internet, social media, screens on squares and public transport centers.

Click on the image to enlarge

(HA/VK)