A transfer driver recounts: 10 stories from journeys around Istanbul
Every day, hundreds of tourists travel in our transfer vehicles – each with their own stories, moods and unexpected twists along the way. We’ve put together ten short anecdotes from real-life experiences.
1. A forgotten passport
The family left the terminal without one of their own — Dad had gone back to the aircraft exit to retrieve his forgotten passport. The driver calmly waited an extra 20 minutes, helped with the remaining luggage and didn’t charge a single lira extra.
2. Falling in love with the city at first sight
The couple, seeing the bridge over the Bosphorus for the first time from the car window, asked the driver to stop briefly. A few minutes of silence and admiring glances — a typical reaction to a first encounter with Istanbul.
3. An unplanned mini-tour
The newlyweds asked to take a short detour ‘just to have a look at the city’ before checking into their hotel. The driver pointed out the waterfront and told a couple of stories about the neighbourhood — at no extra cost, of his own accord.
4. A quiet journey for work
A businessman was travelling from the airport straight to a meeting and worked on his laptop the whole way. The driver drove in silence, without distracting him with conversation — sometimes the best service is silence.
5. A long wait
The flight was delayed by six hours due to a technical fault. The driver kept track of the flight status and arrived right on time for the new arrival time, without a single unnecessary call from the customer.
6. A group of friends and an impromptu guide
A group of five friends bombarded the driver with questions about the city the whole way. By the end of the journey, they already had a list of places to visit that evening — complete with tips from a local.
7. A special anniversary
An elderly couple were celebrating their wedding anniversary on the very day of their arrival. The driver had been told about this in advance by the dispatcher and had prepared a little surprise — flowers on the back seat.
8. A child’s first glimpse of the sea
A young passenger saw the sea for the first time from the car window on the way to the hotel. His parents still recall his reaction — a sense of wonder that is hard to put into words.
9. A forgotten mobile phone
A tourist left their mobile phone on the back seat. The driver noticed it just a few minutes later and drove back to the hotel to hand it over in person.
10. A chat in the rain
A rainy evening, a long journey due to traffic jams — and a leisurely chat with a tourist about life in Istanbul, local traditions and the best places for breakfast. Sometimes a transfer is also a small part of getting to know the culture.
Conclusion
Every journey is part of someone’s travel story. A good driver doesn’t just take you from A to B – they make the journey part of a positive experience of the city.