Getting Around Aleppo

City transport in Aleppo changed visibly in summer 2026. In July 2026 the governorate handed the North Ring route (al-Dairi al-Shamali), which it calls the city’s most important line, to the buses of the Internal Transport Company alone, and moved licensed minibuses to the South Ring route. This page sets out, with dates, what is specific to Aleppo: which route has buses and which has minibuses, the official fare, and why the minibus habit of splitting routes matters. The general rules for boarding and leaving a minibus are on the page about city transport in Syria.

Which route has buses and which has minibuses?

Only company buses run on the North Ring. In the first days of the change, the governorate said a full end-to-end trip had dropped to 30 to 35 minutes and the jams at the University junction had cleared. In a North Press report of 27 August 2026, the inspector at the route’s stop on Sakhour Square says the wait at most stops is no more than a minute and a half. A resident who uses the route gives the gap between buses as 1 to 2 minutes.

Licensed minibuses moved to the South Ring (al-Dairi al-Janoubi). According to a driver transferred there, traffic on that route is much heavier, especially around al-Firdaws and Saif al-Dawla. The governorate is also looking for investors to put buses on the South Ring. An opportunity announced in July 2026 plans 60 new buses for the South Ring, a route of about 22 kilometres, and 18 buses for the Saif al-Dawla route of about 14 kilometres. No report was found of these buses entering service.

What is the official fare?

The official fare announced by the governorate in July 2026 is 2500 old pounds, or 25 new pounds. According to the same statement, minibuses on the North Ring had been charging 4000 to 5000 old pounds before the decision. In November 2025 the governorate set a fine of 114000 pounds and a one-month vehicle impound for not keeping to the fare or for repeat offences; that amount is in the old pounds of the time.

Something has changed on top of that figure. On 13 September 2026 diesel rose from 125 to 175 new pounds, and according to Al-Watan minibus drivers in Aleppo, as elsewhere, raised fares on their own without waiting for an official decision. No report was found of a new official fare for Aleppo. Read the 25-pound fare as the official figure of July 2026, not today’s price, and ask before you board. For notes and small change, see the page about money and cash in Syria.

What is the split-route trick?

It topped the complaints the governorate collected: a minibus driver breaks one route into two or three sections and charges passengers a separate fare for each. In an example a resident gave North Press, a trip that should cost 2500 pounds went up to 5000 or 7500 this way. Another resident describes paying the full fare and being set down with the other passengers before the Shaar Bridge.

This does not happen on the bus: the route is fixed from end to end and is not split. On a minibus it helps to say where you are going before you get in, and to ask whether the fare you pay covers the whole way there.

Bus, minibus or taxi?

Where the North Ring runs, the bus has two advantages: a fixed fare and a fixed route. One resident told North Press he finds the bus safer in the evening, and another said older passengers sit far more comfortably on the bus than in a minibus. The minibus is useful in districts the bus route does not reach.

With luggage, late at night and for the airport, a taxi is the better choice. How to agree the fare is on the page about taxis in Syria, and the airport run on the page about Aleppo airport to the city centre. A plan for days spent on foot in the old city is on the page about two days in Aleppo.

Final checks before you go

• North Ring: company buses only; the official fare was 25 new pounds in July 2026.
• South Ring: minibuses; say where you are going and ask whether the fare covers the whole way.
• Fare: it changed after the September 2026 diesel rise, so confirm before boarding.
• Night: take the bus or a taxi.