In Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 and Turkish controlled Northern Cyprus, dolmuş are share taxi

Share taxi

A share taxi is a mode of transport that falls between taxis and conventional buses. These informal vehicles for hire are found throughout the world. They are smaller than buses, and usually take passengers on a fixed or semi-fixed route without timetables, usually leaving when all seats are filled...

s that run set routes within and between cities.

Departing from the terminal only when a sufficient amount of passengers have boarded, their name is derived from Turkish

Turkish language

Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...

 for "apparently stuffed" for this reason.

In some cities dolmuş are only allowed to board and disembark passengers at designated stops or at terminals; in less busy locations passengers may board anywhere along the route.

A foreign passenger described the ride as being "terrifying, awe-inspiring, confusing, incomprehensible, charming, hospitable and alien", and those unfamiliar with them may be surprised by the speed of dolmuş travel.

In Turkey the vehicles used are usually brand new minibuses, but in some parts of Cyprus you can, as of 2009, still see aging Mercedes stretch limos serving as dolmuş.

Turkish regulation

In Turkey the industry is regulated. Despite the meaning of their name, laws prevent these minibuses from becoming too crowded.

Cyprus regulation

In Turkish controlled Northern Cyprus, dolmuş routes are leased and vehicles are licensed.