Transportation in Iran

Transportation in Iran

If you are traveling to Iran alone without the help of a travel agency, you should know about the transportation network in Iran and how this system of works in the country. To reach Iran you can choose an air, bus, or railway system depending on the place of departure. Once you are inside Iran you and your companions can use public transportation in big cities such as Tehran at a low price for you. In this article, we try to explain different types of transportation in Iran, and also their advantages and disadvantages.

Plane

There is a wide domestic flight network in Iran, available on a daily basis that you can use during your trip to Iran in order to go to your desired destination. There are also a variety of airlines from which you can choose depending on your budget. Some of these airlines are Iran Air, Iran Aseman, Mahan Air, Zagros, and so on. To book a flight on each of these airlines, and to know about the flight schedule, you can easily contact our travel experts and get some insight about them. You should just mention the place of departure and the destination so that we can book a domestic flight for you.

Actually, there are two ways of booking a domestic flight in Iran, regular and charter. Regular tickets can be canceled and there is always the possibility of a refund. However, it is better to check the policy with your tour operator before booking. On the contrary, you cannot get a refund for charter tickets, whether it is a month or 24 hours before the flight schedule. When you book the flight, you have to pay the total cost of your ticket.

Keep in mind that both regular and charter tickets can be bought for one single flight, for instance, a flight from Tehran to Isfahan by Mahan Air could be purchased as a regular or charter ticket. So, it is better to ask your travel agent about the terms of your domestic flight in Iran. We recommend going to the airport an hour before your flight schedule.

Taxi

Taxis are regularly available throughout small and big cities. You can either take a private or shuttle taxi. Shuttle taxis travel between the main streets, boulevards, and squares of the city so you must know the name of the street and where you are going. In order to reach your destination, sometimes you might need to take more than one shuttle taxi otherwise you can take a private ride that is usually more expensive. To call for a private taxi you should say ‘Dar Bast’ to the cab driver and tell him where you want to go and he will take you to any location in the city. It is better to agree on a price before getting into the car.

For a shared or a shuttle taxi, you can find the taxi stations on almost every square and almost all of the main streets of the city. There are a lot of yellow or green taxis waiting to be filled by passengers at their stations and to move toward their destination. Taxis usually wait in lines under a sign that shows the name of their destination. If you cannot see any taxi station stand on the side of the street and shout the name of your destination to the taxis going in your direction and a taxi will stop to pick you up.

There are also telephone taxis or agency taxis that every hotel has and each household knows. So, you can ask someone to dial the number of local agency taxis and he or she will call and ask for a car to your destination. The agency taxi is usually more expensive than the shuttle taxi and it can wait while you do your work during the day or can be hired for your entire stay.

Also, there are special taxis for women only, in the big cities. All the cab drivers are women and they will only accept female customers. You can reserve a taxi by dialing the 1814 number and they also have started their online services on their website, taxibanovan.com.

 

Bus

There is bus transportation in every city, and in big cities such as Tehran, it is the best option to escape the traffic of downtown and other crowded city streets. Tehran has a BRT (bus rapid transit) system that runs 24/7 in ten different routes throughout the city. You can see the map on the internet. The fee for each trip is 10210 Rials for the bus with the e-ticket.

If you are planning to use Tehran’s bus or subway services pretty often during your stay in Iran, buy an e-ticket from a bus or metro station since you can only use the electronic ticket if you want to go somewhere by the BRT system. Using the e-ticket for the subway will cost you less than buying a paper ticket for each trip. Using e-tickets is easy. You just have to charge it any amount you want and then do not need to stay in line to purchase another ticket for each trip.

There are almost no minibusses in Tehran due to the improvement of the bus system in recent years, except in some less developed districts of the city.

Subway

Tehran’s subway system has different lines running in different routes plus an extra line that goes to the city of Karaj. Through the subway you can quickly reach almost any location in Tehran, you just have to find out which line is the best for the location that you want to go to. If you need to switch the line you have to figure out which station you must go to, to get on the other train. In addition, the boards inside the trains, show the name of the stations in Farsi only but in the stations and on the map which you can see on the internet, the English names are available. Keep in mind that the subway trains during the rush hours 7-9 am and 4-7 pm are very crowded. The fee for a trip with the e-ticket is different due to the station to which you want to go to. If you do not want to use an e-ticket and want to buy a regular ticket, the one-way ticket is 15,000 Rials for Tehran, 1,7000 Rials for Tehran’s surroundings, 50,000 Rials for Hashtgerd, and 90,000 Rials for the Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA).

 

Intercity Transportation

It is best to travel between cities by train or bus. Both are very comfortable and have reasonable fees. There are VIP buses that are more comfortable than normal intercity buses suitable for longer trips with the service of a juice box and cookies. You can buy the bus tickets at the terminal or book them on relevant websites. But you must know that visa cards and master cards do not work in Iran because of the banking sanctions.

For transportation between cities, you can also choose railway transportation. If you are traveling in a group you can buy the tickets for 4 to 6 seated wagons that the seats can turn into a bed for a comfortable night sleep. Some railway tracks, such as Tehran-Mashhad, have different qualities, from luxury to ordinary classifications. For the railways, you must buy the tickets at the terminal.

You can also take private cars to transport you between the cities that will take four passengers to depart toward the destination and the fee could be at the same price as the bus but it might be less comfortable comparing to the bus or train specially for longer trips.

Car Rental in Iran

If you like to have some adventure during your trip, a car rental in Iran might be a proper choice for you. You can experience the four seasons at the same time in different regions of Iran along with beautiful landscapes that you may lose parts of this adventure by air travel. Car rental agencies are available in most big cities where you can choose the desired vehicle from a rather short list of available cars. There is a range of cars available for rent; from an economy hatchback such as Peugeot 206 that costs about 30 Euros a day to a luxury SUV such as Toyota Land Cruiser that costs about 250 Euros. This part will help you find a proper rental agency to go on your adventurous journey.

 

Is Driving Recommended in Iran?

At first glance, traffic in Iran is somehow similar to many other Asian countries.

But it not completely the same; it seems that everyone is going their own way without taking anything else into account; however, traffic outside the big cities is quite light and easily drivable. While some crazy drivers might discourage you from renting a car, it also has its own advantages. Driving gives you freedom and comfort so you can explore different parts of this vast country. Note that navigation will not be a big problem; You can use the help of apps such as Google Maps, Waze, and also ask the locals to find your destinations.

How to Rent A Car

There are many car rental agencies and companies in Iran in which you go through a process slightly different from the conventional process in Europe or the US. The well-known car rental agencies like Europcar and Takseir and travel agencies like Hogo Travel can provide a proper vehicle for you based on your budget. In general, the process is simple; you choose a vehicle, leave a guarantee for returning it, receive the keys, drive to your destinations, return the car, pay the rental price, and get the guarantee back. For instance, when you rent a car from Europcar in Shiraz, the return procedure at the Imam Khomeini international airport is similar to any other rental place worldwide. You drop the vehicle at the arrival level; a person will check the vehicle and off you go.

 

Who Can Rent A Car?

Anyone who does not want to be accompanied by a driver can rent a car in Iran. Anyone with the age of 18 (21 for some companies) or more can rent a car.

 

Is Renting A Car Without A Driver Possible?

Yes. Many car rental agencies have this option. But it sometimes limits the options for choosing the car model. For instance, some agencies will not give you luxury cars unless you are accompanied by a driver from the agency. There are also some agencies that do not let their customers take expensive car models outside the city.

Popular Car Rental Locations in Iran

There are some famous rental agencies including Europcar, Takseir, Saadat Rent, Persiangasht, Aradseir, Parsianhamrah, and Hamirent. Usually, these agencies allow the customers to choose where to get the car; but some of them have limitations. Most agencies and companies have car delivery services in big cities such as Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Yazd, Tabriz, Mashhad, Rasht, and Bandar Abbas. For example, there are offices for Europcar at IKIA and Mehr Abad airports in Tehran. It is better to ask if the agency charges you for delivering the car at the airport before returning the vehicle.

 

Guarantee for Car Rentals in Iran

Depending on the company or agency, you will be asked for any of these documents as a guarantee: valid driving license, your visa, or passport. The agency may demand a deposit in cash; this deposit may range from 1,000 to 5,000 euros depending on the car type and the company. You will also be charged an added insurance fee. As you deliver the car, your deposit will be returned to you, but some agencies will keep a small amount of your deposit as a guarantee for the possible fines recorded by the police; this amount will be sent back to you after your return in about 75 days.

 

Car Rental Prices

Car rental prices may differ depending on many factors such as car model, mileage, duration, and whether you are hiring a driver or not. As you might already know you can get better prices if you make longer reservations, usually longer than a week.

Based on your budget, you might wonder how much it is to rent a car in Iran. Well, there are a variety of options. Usually, there is an economical option in the rental agencies; Iranian cars or older models of well-known companies are included in this group. For instance, an economy car like Peugeot 206, or Dena (an Iranian sedan) might cost about 30 Euros a day. More expensive cars such as Renault Logan/Symbol or Kia Cerato could be rented with 60 to 110 euros a day respectively. There are more cars at higher costs available for rent such as Toyota’s luxury SUV, Land Cruiser, which costs about 250 Euros per day. Because of the necessity of having insurance, some companies may ask for an extra amount. Prepare enough cash for renting a car since your credit cards will not work in Iran.

 

Public Transportation or Car Rental?

So, renting a car is an exciting way through which you can start and stop the car whenever you like and enjoy the beautiful landscapes on the road. If this type fits your budget, then why not trying it. If you like other ways of transportation, you can use public transport that is cheaper and always available.

You can also visit: Tehran Accommodations, Shiraz Accommodations, Isfahan Accommodations