Intercity Travel

Bus is the safest road vehicle and the most popular one for intercity transportation in Iran. It is the cheapest choice and has the biggest diversity among other vehicles. Iranians use modern and new buses from companies such as Scania, Mercedes, Volvo, Man and Renault. Bus is the safest road vehicle that you can choose.

How to Travel?

There are many bus companies working 24/7 and you can find a ticket to your destination at any time. There are up to 4 bus terminals for intercity transportation. You can find bus companies in all of them and buy the ticket right there.

• Choose a bus company you like from the wide variety of companies. The top famous are Royal Safar Iranian, Seiro Safar, Hamsafar, Iran Peyma.
• Note that your ticket is the most important document while you are travelling. Never try to travel without a ticket in Iran. We will provide all the necessary information and contact details in each city page. Avoid buying ticket for seats in the first two front rows and the 3 back rows. The front rows can be uncomfortable especially at night because the drivers often listen to music on the road and it can be heard from the front rows. The back rows are near the engine and it can be noisy or bumpy. But if you are travelling during daytime, front rows can be a better choice if you want to take photos on the way and have a better view of the road.
  You can buy tickets:
  • In each bus terminal from the company that you prefer.
  • In tour companies which sell all kinds of tickets.
  • From companies and third party websites on the internet with Iranian debit cards. You can later collect your ticket at the terminal.
  • You can also call some companies and ask them to send the ticket to you by post. Note that you will have to cover the cost of the courier.

• Find the terminal where your bus is waiting for you. There is at least one bus terminal in each city in Iran but some big cities have up to 4 terminals. So you should always ask which bus terminal you need when you are buying your ticket.

  Terminals in Iran used to be quite dirty but nowadays new and modern bus terminals have been built in many cities. The police is responsible for safety in the terminals. Nontheless, you have to keep an eye on your properties. Never leave your belongings unattended in terminals.

• Find the bus you are going to board. It is not hard because you can ask from bus drivers or bus companies in the terminal to help you find your bus. Then you have to give your luggage to the driver's assistant and he will give you a luggage number for collecting it in your destination. Get on the bus and find your seat according to the seat number on your ticket.
• We will talk about resting areas on the road in another page. Mind that you should not eat unpacked food on the road except in some recommended areas.

In case of violation of the rules

Buses normally don't break the law because the drivers and companies will face serious problems like long term bans or significant fines. But if you face any problems, first of all try to ask the driver or his assistant to address the problem and if the problem persists, you have to inform the police. As soon as they are informed, they will immediately stop the bus without revealing your name and look into the problem. You can inform the police with one of the following methods:

• Dial 110 which is the integrated police number.
• Send a message to number 110120 in the following format:
  (Bus license plate number*current whereabouts of the bus*Problem code*Destination). The problem code can be a number from 1 to 7 with the following meanings
  • driver talks on the mobile phone
  • driver or passengers did not fasten their seatbelt
  • driver is sleepy or tired
  • dangerous driving
  • problems in bus functionality
  • bus does not stop every 3-4 hours
  • Thanks to driver
• 3. You can talk to the officers in each police station on the way when the driver stops to show his documents to the police.

You cannot find any public road transportation vehicle except buses for long routes. All other public vehicles are functioning only for short distance destinations like nearby villages or cities. Besides they are not as safe as bus because many of them are not checked by any company or police. You can also find official taxi services for short distance trips in taxi or bus terminals where you can buy a ticket. We recommend to use only public taxi or van when you cannot choose a bus or when you are in hurry.

Just like buses, you should call the police by dialing 110 in case problems arise. Uunfortunately there is no short messaging system in case of violation of rules for any vehicles except buses yet.

What you should know

• Normally you have to pay the driver directly or in case of taking taxi from companies you should pay the fare in their office in the terminal in advance.
• Minibuses and vans are safer than taxi.
• Taxi is the most unsafe vehicle for long distances.
• Taxi is the most expensive and fastest road vehicle.
• You have to fasten your seatbelts on the road all the time even in back seats.
• We recommend you to use the companies which issue tickets.
• We will provide information about transport companies for each city in its own city page.

You can hire any road vehicle used in Iran privately including buses, taxis and vans. Of course it’s more expensive than the public ones but you can choose where you want to go and what you would like to do.

Renting a road vehicle is easy but you should rent them from famous and registered companies which are more safe and easier to use. All rules concerning public transport vehicles can apply to private vehicles as well but unlike public ones they do not issue any tickets but they have to obtain police authorization letter which contains all the passengers' names and passport numbers. This works as tickets and helps the police track the transportation vehicle in case of problems. So when hiring a private vehicle for intercity transportation you should ask for police authorization letter.