The bustling tourism exercise in Antalya, a preferred vacationer vacation spot in southern Türkiye, has led to a scarcity of drivers, in keeping with the pinnacle of the metropolitan’s Transportation Planning and Rail Systems Department.
The metropolis skilled a major demand within the first seven months of this yr by welcoming a complete of seven.3 million vacationers to town through air between Jan. 1 and July 18, in keeping with official tourism knowledge whereas the officers count on this yr’s tourism figures to surpass the pre-pandemic knowledge.
Other than the prolonged mobility, the scarcity of drivers was additional exacerbated as some drivers retired due to the pension reform overhaul (EYT) that went into drive earlier this yr.
To tackle the scarcity and keep away from disruptions in public transportation, the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality lately launched 60 new buses into service, the Ihlas News Agency (IHA) reported on Friday.
However, this transfer elevated the demand for drivers much more. To recruit some 150 bus drivers, the municipality positioned job commercial boards on pedestrian overpasses and commercial boards at numerous areas throughout town.
After receiving 600 purposes in response to those bulletins, 100 drivers had been employed, whereas the municipality plans to make use of an extra 120 drivers.
Nurettin Tonguç, the pinnacle of Antalya Transportation Planning and Rail Systems Department commented on the visitors congestion in Antalya, mentioning that folks’s conduct towards public transportation modified after the pandemic.
“Some individuals initially abandoned public transportation but later one part of them returned (to it). The conflict between Russia and Ukraine also influenced the tourism dynamics, with many tourists choosing to travel by car, leading to an increase in traffic congestion. In response, the authorities opened a Traffic Control Center. We are managing 101 intersections from a central location and ensure swift interventions when necessary,” Tonguç stated to IHA.
Tonguç additionally acknowledged the motive force scarcity started together with the vacationer season, though many drivers from different metropolitan areas, similar to Muğla most well-liked to work in Antalya due to increased tourism earnings.
“Additionally, the recent EYT law resulted in the sudden departure of many drivers, catching the municipality unprepared for such a scenario. Therefore, they began actively recruiting drivers through careful evaluation of applicants, including checking criminal records and health reports. We take the drivers for the test rides and necessary controls. As of now some 100 drivers have taken their position, and we will add 120 drivers more,” he famous.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
