The Istanbul Municipality (IBB) on Tuesday announced a sharp increase in mass transit fares that covers every public vehicle, from buses and subways to ferries operating between the two sides of the Bosporus along with hikes in hop-on-hop-off taxi fares.
According to local media reports from an extraordinary meeting of the transport watchdog Transportation Coordination Center (UKOME), the IBB decided to hike public transport fares by 51.52%.
At the meeting held at 1453 Çırpıcı Social Facilities, chaired by the municipality's Deputy Secretary General Buğra Gökçe, IBB proposed a 51.5% increase in public transport fees. The proposal was discussed and accepted by a majority of the votes cast, as per Anadolu Agency (AA) reports.
In line with the decision, the price of the full ticket, which previously stood at TL 9.90 ($0.37), increased to TL 15, and the student fare increased from TL 4.83 to TL 7.32. On the other hand, the hop-on hop-off fare in taxis increased from TL 40 to TL 70, resulting in a 75% hike.
The hike also saw the teacher electronic ticket prices rise from TL 7.09 to TL 10.74. At the same time, the monthly full subscription fee peaked at TL 1,177 from the current TL 777, whereas the monthly student subscription fee increased from 140 TL to 212 TL.
In taxis, the starting fee of the taximeter jumped up from TL 12.65 to TL 19.17, while the yellow taxi fee for distance per kilometer rose from TL 8.51 to TL 13.75.
In addition, the fee for short-distance rides in minibuses, another prevalent transport mode in the megacity, rose from TL 7.00 to TL 12.00.
The municipality's decision to hike the transport fees also included a hike in school bus fees from TL 792 to TL 1,300 for a distance between 0-1 kilometers (0-0.62 miles). The personnel service fee was increased from TL 422.40 to TL 640.02 for minibusses with 10-17 seats.
According to the report, Eyüp Aksu, head of an association representing the city's taxi drivers, along with the other cab drivers left the hall during the meeting of UKOME stating that they did not accept the hike. Reports earlier this week pointed out that taxi drivers demanded a higher hike despite often being criticized by the public for inconveniences experienced during and prior to rides.
One of the most prevalent issues reported by customers and commuters in Istanbul is the difficulty in finding available taxis, and they often complain of drivers "choosing passengers and distance" as per their convenience.
The hike in public transport fees in Istanbul comes following hikes in other metropolitan municipalities such as the capital Ankara and southern Antalya, which raised mass transit service fares earlier in July.
