The ESHOT General Directorate, affiliated with the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, operates its Otokar Navigo (Sultan) City midi buses with optimal efficiency, thanks to Allison fully automatic transmissions.

İZMİR, Türkiye, April 2025 – In İzmir, Türkiye's third largest city, the ESHOT General Directorate, operating under the Metropolitan Municipality, provides rubber-tired public transportation services across 430 routes in line with the city's population growth. Prioritizing passenger and driver comfort as well as traffic safety, ESHOT has a fleet consisting entirely of automatic transmission vehicles. To navigate narrow and steep streets where solo and articulated buses cannot go, the fleet has recently been expanded with 57 Otokar Navigo (Sultan) City midi buses. Thanks to their Allison T 2100 xFE™ fully automatic transmissions, these midi buses provide significant efficiency.

As of April 2024, 46% of public transportation in İzmir is provided by ESHOT General Directorate's buses. Including vehicles under ESHOT's supervision, such as those operated by İZULAŞ and İZTAŞIT, this figure rises to 61%. According to the April 2024 data, the ESHOT bus fleet serves approximately 22.5 million passengers monthly in İzmir. This service is provided by 1,681 vehicles, including 1,010 solo buses, 569 articulated buses and 102 midi buses in ESHOT's fleet.

ESHOT acquired its first 7-meter Otokar Navigo (Sultan) City midi buses equipped with Allison fully automatic transmissions in 2018. Due to increasing demand and satisfaction with these vehicles, the number in the fleet has grown to 57 over the years. ESHOT varied its fleet with 7-meter vehicles based on the physical conditions of the routes and passenger density. The Otokar Sultan City midi buses were chosen for their domestic production, ease of driving on narrow and steep streets, high mobility and maneuverability, extensive service network and economical spare parts costs. Officials from the ESHOT General Directorate, providing information about the service cycles of these vehicles, has stated:

“Our Otokar Navigo (Sultan) City vehicles cover an average of 40 km per trip (roundtrip) and approximately 248 km per day per vehicle. Passengers board and alight at a total of 2,335 stops. Among the 37 routes we serve, the distance covered in one trip ranges from a minimum of 8 km to a maximum of 144 km. The average slope of the routes is 4.3%, and our routes span a wide range from rural areas to urban regions with dense traffic. In these extremely variable and sometimes challenging routes, the fully automatic transmission, along with other vehicle features, provides numerous advantages for drivers, passengers and operators alike.”

ESHOT officials also emphasized the importance of safety and comfort for both passengers and drivers in public transportation and stated: “The fully automatic transmission system ensures smooth, safe and comfortable transportation by providing optimal and orderly gear shifts. Additionally, compared to manual and automated manual transmissions, fuel efficiency and driving safety are improved, Moreover, the frequency of breakdowns is lower with automatic transmissions compared to manuals. We have experienced all these advantages with the Allison fully automatic transmissions in our Otokar Navigo (Sultan) City vehicles, and thus we have periodically increased our fleet. We have been using our first vehicles without issues for approximately six years.”

The 7-meter Otokar Navigo (Sultan) City midi buses used by ESHOT are equipped with a 4.5-liter Cummins Intercooler Turbo Diesel Euro 6 engine, which generates 107 kilowatts (kW) of power and 632 newton-meters of torque. The Allison T 2100 xFE™ transmission system, that has been designed for city buses with up to 172 kW (230 horsepower), features Allison's patented torque converter, which increases engine torque smoothly and transfers more power to the wheels. As a result, Allison fully automatic transmissions provide higher performance and efficiency compared to manual or AMTs, which can result in power and torque loss with each gear shift.

Allison offers its 2000 Series™ fully automatic transmission for transit applications, featuring xFE fuel-saving technology. The internal gear ratios of the xFE transmission are refined to minimize fuel consumption, while the shifting strategy is controlled by Allison's FuelSense 2.0^® software package to ensure that gear ratios are always switched at the ideal speed for maximum efficiency.

ESHOT officials, indicating their preference for Otokar Navigo (Sultan) buses due to low maintenance and repair costs as well as fuel savings, stated: “Furthermore, we must highlight the contribution of the fully automatic transmission to these advantages. Fully automatic transmissions provide fuel efficiency by optimizing gear shifts. They also prevent high fuel consumption caused by variations in driving styles. Additionally, they reduce the likelihood of breakdowns which might occur due to driving inconsistencies. Allison transmissions contribute to decreasing maintenance and repair costs by using a hydraulic torque converter instead of the wear-prone clutch system found in manuals and AMTs. This eliminates the need for costly and time-consuming clutch repairs and replacements. Allison transmissions offer a more efficient operational lifespan with only periodic fluid and filter changes.”

Approximately 2,700 drivers work within ESHOT. “Our drivers are satisfied with the fully automatic transmission system, even in challenging weather conditions and routes. The system helps minimize human errors and provides a safe and comfortable driving experience. The comfort of our fully automatic Otokar midi buses is especially appreciated by drivers who have previously operated manual transmission vehicles.

“In our job, we spend the day navigating city traffic and stopping frequently at stops. With automatic transmissions, I don’t have to worry about changing gears; pressing 'D' is enough,” said Aydın Şanlı, a bus driver for ESHOT for five years. “This allows me to focus more on the road and traffic, making it easier to drive my vehicle more smoothly and comfortably. I also feel less tired at the end of my shift. The automatic transmission even helps with stress management for drivers in city transit.”

“Allison transmissions, like those used in various bus models, also ensure operator satisfaction in the 7-8 meter midi bus segment worldwide,” said Berk Gönenç, Allison Transmission Türkiye, Middle East and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Sales Director. “In urban public transport, where frequent stops and starts are common, the benefits of fully automatic transmissions are highly appreciated. ESHOT, in this regard, is one of the best examples of public transport in Europe.”

ESHOT has continued to use Allison fully automatic transmissions in various vehicle models since 2013.