Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that nearly 1 million people have taken advantage of discounted transportation services under the government’s “Year of the Family” initiative, introduced following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s designation of 2025 as the Year of the Family.
In a statement outlining the scope of the program, Uraloğlu said a total of 933,929 passengers benefited from reduced fares across rail, air and intercity bus services. The initiative, developed in coordination with the Ministry of Family and Social Services, aims to enhance the affordability and accessibility of nationwide travel for families.
Uraloğlu highlighted that Turkish State Railways (TCDD) launched dedicated discounts for families and newly married couples on March 8, 2025, offering favorable fare structures through the end of the year. Under the program, family members, including parents, children and grandparents, are eligible for a 15% discount when traveling together on the condition that they purchase between three and 11 tickets in a single transaction.
He added that an additional offering, branded as the “Newly Married Tariff,” provides couples married in 2025 with a 50% discount on train tickets. Since the implementation of these programs, rail operators have recorded 223,410 discounted trips, comprising 191,823 passengers using the 15% family discount and 31,587 passengers traveling under the newly married tariff.
The minister also underlined the role of Turkish Airlines (THY) in advancing the Year of the Family framework. THY launched its domestic travel discount on Jan. 21, offering families 15% off base fares when booking for groups of three to nine individuals sharing the same surname. Between January and October, the carrier reported 705,142 passengers who traveled using the family discount across scheduled and supplementary flights.
Uraloğlu said intercity bus companies have also been authorized to implement discounts of up to 40%, enabling families of two to four members traveling together on the same route to reduce their costs by providing documentation confirming their family status. Since the launch of the program on March 17, 5,377 passengers have benefited from these bus fare reductions.
Framing the effort as a strategic step to alleviate transportation costs for households, Uraloğlu said the initiative continues to reinforce the government’s commitment to strengthening family welfare. “We are delivering a more accessible, more inclusive mobility ecosystem for families across the country,” he said.
