School Bus Prices Rise in Türkiye for 2026–2027

School Bus Prices Rise in Türkiye for 2026–2027

Families in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir will face higher school transport costs during the 2026–2027 academic year, after new school bus tariffs were approved in the three major Turkish cities.

Prices vary according to the distance between a student's home and school. The minimum annual tariffs are 27,331 TL in Ankara, 32,850 TL in Izmir and 39,970 TL in Istanbul.

For longer routes, the cost can be considerably higher. In Istanbul, for example, the annual tariff for a 23–25 km route has reached 93,610 TL.

How Much Have School Bus Prices Increased?

The new tariffs represent different increases across the three cities:

• Istanbul: +10%
• Ankara: +25.49%
• Izmir: +35%

The size of the annual payment depends on the route length, with longer journeys costing more.

Istanbul School Bus Tariffs

Istanbul's public transport authorities approved the following annual tariffs for the 2026–2027 school year:

• 0–1 km: 39,970 TL
• 1–3 km: 42,804 TL
• 3–5 km: 46,258 TL
• 5–7 km: 48,249 TL
• 7–9 km: 50,868 TL
• 9–11 km: 58,923 TL
• 11–13 km: 67,822 TL
• 13–15 km: 71,239 TL
• 15–17 km: 76,899 TL
• 17–19 km: 81,304 TL
• 19–21 km: 86,515 TL
• 21–23 km: 90,112 TL
• 23–25 km: 93,610 TL

This means that families using school transport for longer distances in Istanbul may spend more than 90,000 TL per year.

Ankara School Bus Prices

Annual tariffs in Ankara for the 2026–2027 academic year are:

• 0–3 km: 27,331 TL
• 3–6 km: 30,155 TL
• 6–10 km: 34,785 TL
• 10–15 km: 40,432 TL
• Over 15 km: an additional 527 TL per kilometre

Ankara's tariffs increased by 25.49%. Transport operators had previously requested a larger increase, citing rising operating costs.

Izmir School Bus Tariffs

Izmir recorded the largest increase among the three cities, with tariffs rising by 35%.

• 0–3 km: 32,850 TL
• 4–6 km: 40,050 TL
• 7–10 km: 43,020 TL
• 11–15 km: 50,940 TL
• 16–20 km: 61,110 TL
• 21–25 km: 67,950 TL
• 26–30 km: 74,880 TL
• 31–35 km: 78,480 TL
• 36–40 km: 83,250 TL

Transport Operators Cite Rising Costs

Ilyas Aktürk, head of the Ankara Chamber of Service Transport Operators, said increases in school transport costs had reached 35–40% in some major cities.

According to Aktürk, Ankara's transport operators had requested an increase of around 60% because of higher costs. A 40% increase was also discussed during the process, but the final decision set the increase at 25.49%.

Representatives of the sector point to higher fuel prices and other operating expenses as factors behind the rising cost of school transport.

Authorities in Ankara are also continuing inspections aimed at identifying unlicensed transport operators. Contracts with school transport companies are generally concluded separately for each academic year.

🚌 New tariffs will apply throughout the 2026–2027 academic year.