On 18th May, KTLN told you that we were trying to get hold of the timetable for the local minibus service, which last year, covered Kışla, Kalamar and the town centre.

Whilst there is a limited service currently operating on Kalamar Road, the full service has not yet been seen.

In this article we let you know what has been going on, and why we are still waiting.

Background
As Kalkan has grown from a village, into a small town, the demand for some kind of local bus service has increased. 

In the absence of a bus service, if you do not have your own car or scooter, then your options are to walk or get a taxi. (You don't see many bicycles in Kalkan, funnily enough).

Given the topography of Kalkan and the fact that it is spreading outwards, walking to and from town is not a great option for many, and so the taxi drivers have made a good living.

Opposition from taxi drivers
From numerous conversations we have had with local people in Kalkan, it is fair to say that the taxi community are not keen to see a minibus service operating.  The reason is obvious - they fear that people will use a minibus instead of a taxi, and this will damage their business.

These concerns have been expressed, in quite clear terms, to the Mayor and the minibus operators. 

Opposition from the taxi drivers is seen by some, as at least part of the reason why a minibus service is not up and running this season.

Minibus operators fail to agree
Add to this, the fact that there are now two dolmuş operators vying to provide this service.  Last year it was just Kalkan Tourism & Transport (KTT).  This year, the Kalkan Koop (another co-operative) want to get in on the action. 

The Mayor asked them to work together to agree a timetable, but so far they have not reached any agreement.

So now we have a situation where we are more than one month into the main tourist season, and we have not got a proper local bus service operating. 

Kalkan's Mayor seeks agreement
The Mayor is frustrated at the slow progress.  So much so, that he threatened that the Belediye would get a couple of tractors and hook them up to some trailers with seats, (like those buggy trains you see in some resorts), if the bus companies could not find a workable solution.  He may have been joking, but quite honestly, we reckon people would go for them.

The very latest news we have is that the Mayor is looking to have a meeting in the near future, with all interested parties, to thrash out routes, timetables and fares for this season. 

KTLN hopes they will take on board the views of people who have written to ask for the service to be extended to all areas of Kalkan - not just Kışla and Kalamar.  We are aware that more than 50 people have written to, or emailed the Mayor on this subject - many of those from the Kızıltaş area, above the D400 dual carriageway.

If you are keen to see a local minibus service in Kalkan, you may wish to write to the Mayor to let him know.  You can find his email here: Kalkan Belediye Başkan e-posta

Please note that any correspondence should be written in Turkish. Emails are dealt with by his assistants.  If you can write an old fashioned letter on paper, you may have more impact.

Kalkan Turkish Local News - your window on Kalkan Turkey