ISTANBUL, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkish authorities on Tuesday dramatically hiked public transport and taxi fares in Istanbul, Türkiye's largest city.
Istanbul Municipality's Transportation Coordination Centre (UKOME) announced a 51.52-percent increase in public transport fares, the official Anadolu news agency reported.
With the latest increase, the price of a bus ticket increased from 9.9 Turkish liras (0.37 dollars) to 15 liras, while the price of a discounted student ticket rose from 4.83 liras to 7.32 liras.
The Metrobus fare for a trip between the Anatolian and European sides of the city climbed to 22.25 liras, the Anadolu report said.
The cost of the minimum taxi trip increased from 40 liras to 70 liras, according to the report.
The starting fee of the taximeter rose from 12.65 liras to 19.17 liras. Still, the increase failed to satisfy taxi drivers, who walked out of the room in protest during the UKOME meeting.
The new tariffs, which came on the heels of soaring fuel prices, will be in force from Aug. 11 for public transport and Aug. 14 for taxis. ■
