Entangled in corruption investigations, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) is under fire for skyrocketing fees for everything from public transportation to water bills.
On Friday, the municipality, now controlled by the Republican People’s Party (CHP), announced an additional 10% increase in public transportation fares, adding to the woes of Istanbul residents who favor rapid-transit buses and the metro to avoid worsening traffic.
Figures comparing fees imposed by the IBB under the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which ran the city until Ekrem Imamoğlu’s victory in 2019, highlight the astounding prices residents now have to pay for water, public transportation and parking.
For instance, the unit price of water rose from TL 4 under the AK Party to TL 60, a 1,500% increase. In public transportation, the price of a single full-fare ticket increased from TL 2.60 to TL 46.20 following last Friday’s hike, representing a total increase of 1,676% compared with the pre-Imamoğlu period. The cost of one hour of parking at lots operated by the municipality’s subsidiary ISPARK rose from TL 6 to TL 220, a 3,666% increase.
Meanwhile, the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (ISKI), the water utility run by the municipality, is struggling with mounting debts. It has sold several properties expropriated by former mayors for projects aimed at protecting water basins. The utility had TL 350 million in domestic debt in 2019, and its debt stock rose to more than TL 40.4 billion in 2025.
Speaking at an IBB Council meeting last Monday, Muhammet Kaynar, an AK Party member of the municipal assembly, provided information on the financial statements of the municipality’s subsidiaries and affiliated institutions, as well as price increases in the city. Kaynar criticized all increases in water, public transportation and parking fees over the seven-year period since 2019, as well as ISKI’s financial structure, based on official data.
Emphasizing that the institution’s financial balance remained in deficit despite price hikes and property sales, Kaynar shared the following figures: "ISKI generated TL 76.993 billion in revenue in 2025, while its expenditures totaled TL 86.008 billion. Its budget posted a deficit of TL 10 billion. Revenue from land sales, which stood at TL 8 billion in 2024, increased by 269% in 2025 to reach TL 30.902 billion.”
