Istanbul (AFP) – First came the cab and then the boat. Only a year after starting operations in Turkey, US ride-sharing giant Uber has launched a boat service across the Bosphorus, transporting people from Europe to Asia with UberBOAT.
“By boat, you cross (the Bosphorus Strait) in five minutes, whereas by car, it takes about an hour and a half,” he said.
Heavy traffic can sometimes turn into a nightmare for drivers in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city with a population of around 15 million.
In the annual Traffic Index that looks at traffic congestion in over 200 cities around the world, Dutch vehicle navigation systems maker TomTom revealed that commuters in Istanbul experience the worst traffic congestion overall, ahead of Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro.
The average 30 minute drive in the city will take over an hour during evening rush hour, leading to an extra 125 hours wasted stuck in traffic every year, the study has found.
