The requirement limiting passenger capacity to 50% on public transport has been removed. A new circular from the Ministry of Interior has revoked the rule that restricted city public transport vehicles to carrying only 50% of their passenger capacity. According to the latest announcement, the half-capacity restriction applied to urban transport and intercity passenger services under coronavirus precautions has been lifted.
The Ministry of Interior has issued the new circular to the governorates of all 81 provinces, the General Directorate of Security, and the Gendarmerie General Command. The circular concerning urban and intercity passenger transportation states that the instruction requiring city buses, employee shuttles, and other public transport vehicles to accept only 50% of the capacity indicated on the vehicle registration has been annulled.
Key Points Included in the Ministry of Interior Circular
The circular sent by the Ministry removes the 50% seating-capacity obligation for public transport. Decisions about how many standing passengers may be allowed, based on vehicle type and crowding, are now left to provincial and district public health boards (hıfzıssıhha councils). The main decisions conveyed in the circular are summarized below.
– The instruction that all city public transport vehicles and employee shuttles must accept passengers up to 50% of the capacity stated on the vehicle registration has been repealed.
– Urban and intercity passenger transportation must continue to follow the guidance prepared by the Coronavirus Scientific Committee of the Ministry of Health, as provided in the attached guidelines.
– Provincial and district public health boards are responsible for setting specific rules and taking decisions suited to local conditions. Governors and district governors must promptly adopt and implement the necessary measures under Articles 27 and 72 of the Public Health Law.
The circular also emphasizes that decisions must be implemented without causing disruption or harm to the public. Citizens who do not comply with the measures set by local health boards may face criminal proceedings under Article 195 of the Turkish Penal Code.
This change shifts responsibility for detailed capacity and standing-passenger rules to local authorities while maintaining alignment with national public health guidance prepared by the Ministry of Health’s Coronavirus Scientific Committee.