Project type :

City-wide smart mobility programme combining Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), digital platforms, automated metro technologies, and integrated payment systems, delivered through innovation-oriented public procurement.

Partners: 

• Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) as contracting authority and system integrator.
• Municipal transport operators (metro, bus, ferry).
• Technology providers and engineering firms supplying advanced traffic management, signalling, automation, and data platforms.
• National technology and infrastructure partners involved in transport modernisation.

Funding :  

• Municipal public investment for transport infrastructure and digital systems.
• Long-term public contracts for metro construction, signalling, traffic management and system operation.
• Complementary funding linked to national urban transport and smart city strategies.

Istanbul’s smart mobility initiatives are not a single project, but a portfolio of innovation-driven procurements targeting different layers of the urban mobility system.

1. Innovation-oriented procurement of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)

The municipality has procured advanced ITS solutions, including:

• real-time traffic monitoring and control platforms,
• adaptive traffic signal systems,
• predictive congestion analysis tools using big data.

These systems were not off-the-shelf products, but required adaptation to Istanbul’s scale, topology, and traffic patterns. Public procurement specifications focused on functional performance rather than predefined technical solutions, a key characteristic of PPI.

2. Automated metro lines and advanced signalling systems

Istanbul has invested in fully automated metro lines and next-generation signalling systems, procured through large-scale public contracts.

These technologies required innovation from suppliers to meet high capacity, safety, and reliability requirements in a complex urban environment.

The municipality acted as a lead customer, accelerating the deployment and maturity of advanced metro automation technologies.

3. Integrated mobility platform and Istanbulkart

The Istanbulkart system provides a single payment and access platform for metro, buses, ferries and other transport modes.

Its development and continuous evolution were enabled through successive public procurement processes integrating digital innovation, interoperability, and data analytics, allowing the city to improve planning and user experience.

4. Shared and sustainable mobility services

Public procurement has also supported services such as İsbike, the city’s bike-sharing system, integrating fleet management software, station technology, and digital user interfaces.

These procurements supported experimentation, piloting, and scaling of sustainable mobility services.

1. Mobility and service impacts

• Improved coordination and management of traffic flows across the metropolitan area.
• Increased reliability and capacity of public transport, particularly metro services.
• Enhanced user experience through integrated ticketing and multimodal access.
• Better data availability for planning and operational decision-making.

2. Environmental and urban impacts

• Contribution to congestion reduction and more efficient use of transport infrastructure.
• Support for modal shift towards public and shared transport.
• Potential reduction of transport-related emissions through optimisation and electrified rail systems.

3. Public Procurement of Innovation impacts

Istanbul represents a pragmatic and technology-driven PPI success case:

• The municipality used public procurement to pull innovation from the market, acting as a first buyer of advanced mobility solutions.
• Innovation was embedded in large-scale, real-life operational contracts, rather than isolated pilots.
• Procurement processes enabled suppliers to develop, adapt, and scale innovative technologies in one of the world’s most complex urban mobility environments.