Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has widened the extent of a 50 percent discount in public transportation fares to private inner-city ferries during the Ramadan holiday (Eid al-Fitr).
The 50 percent discount covering three days of the Islamic holiday from July 17-19 applies to only Istanbulkart (bus/metro-card) users. There is no discount for individual tickets, called 'jetons' (tokens). There is now another treat from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality; in addition to bus, Metrobus, subway, tunnel-funicular, tram, and inner-city ferry lines, the discount will apply to private inner-city ferries ("deniz motorları" in Turkish).
Eid al-Fitr is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan.
During the three days of Eid al-Fitr, government offices, schools, post offices, banks, and some supermarkets will be closed. Turkish people will be busy visiting family and friends, so roads, transport, hotels and restaurants will be very busy and full during the festivities. In order to reduce traffic jams in the mega-city, the Municipality brought the 50 percent discount regulation, promoting public transportation for households.
