No information on independent bus drivers could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, the following may be of interest. According to Iran: A Travel Survival Kit the approximately 20 companies that operate bus services between cities in Iran have been organized in cooperatives since the revolution (1992, 100).

Different companies cover different routes, and even major routes may be served by only one or two companies. You may have to inquire at half a dozen bus offices to find a company that serves your destination.... In many cities the bus companies have ticket offices in town but, except sometimes in Tehran, it's almost always easier to get a ticket at the bus station itself.... Sometimes companies have their own stations, and occasionally a company will run buses from more than one station. There is a move towards rationalising bus services, and in some cities new bus stations have been opened at the edge of town to replace a number of separate facilities; other cities will do so in coming years. If in doubt, it's best to ask locally which is the best bus company or bus station for a bus to a particular place (ibid., 100-101)

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Iran: A Travel Survival Kit. 1992. David St Vincent. "East & South-East Iran." Melbourne: Lonely Planet Publications.

Electronic sources: IRB Databases, LEXIS/NEXIS, Internet, REFWORLD, World News Connection (WNC).