
UKOME Approves Price Hike Proposal by Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas
The proposal to increase public transport fares by 38.9% to 50% was approved by the Transportation Coordination Center (UKOME) General Assembly. Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) Mayor Mansur Yavaş’s proposal for fare increases in public transportation vehicles, including private public buses (OHO), private transportation vehicles (OTA), ANKARAY, metro, and EGO buses, was prepared by the EGO General Directorate and submitted to the UKOME General Assembly.
According to information obtained by AA, the new fare schedule, approved by a majority vote at UKOME, will see the full fare increase from ₺15 to ₺21, student fares from ₺7.5 lira to ₺10.5, and teacher fares from ₺11 to ₺15.50.
Transfer fees will also rise, with full fare transfers increasing from ₺7 to ₺10, student transfers from ₺4.5 to ₺6.5, and teacher transfers from ₺5 to ₺7.50.
Minibus Fare Adjustments:
- Short distance fare: from ₺17 to ₺25
- Long distance fare: from ₺20 to ₺30
Additional Adjustments:
- Credit card fare: from ₺18 to ₺25
- Esenboğa Airport-Kızılay and Ankara Intercity Bus Terminal (ASTI) bus fare: from ₺50 to ₺75
The new fare schedule will be effective from August 1st.
Justification for Fare Increase:
ABB highlighted that the last fare increase in Ankara was on July 24, 2023. Since then, the minimum wage has increased by 49% and diesel prices have risen by 80%. The EGO General Directorate incurs a monthly loss of ₺400 million, covered by ABB’s other budget items. Recent fuel price hikes have added an additional ₺20 million to this monthly loss.
The statement also noted that the ratio of passengers traveling for free or at a discount has reached 59%, meaning approximately 6 out of every 10 passengers benefit from reduced fares. When comparing fare schedules across 30 metropolitan municipalities in Turkiye, Ankara’s current per kilometer full fare is ₺0.41 and student fare is ₺0.20, which is significantly below the national average of ₺0.71 for full fare and ₺0.40 for student fare.
Due to these factors, a reasonable fare increase was deemed necessary to ensure the sustainability of the public transport system without fully passing on the cost increases to the citizens.
Source: AA / Prepared by Irem Yildiz