Intercity Bus Prices Double

With the communiqué published by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure on May 14, bus passenger ticket prices have increased by 100-150 percent due to the ceiling fare application introduced in road passenger transportation. In the statement made by the Consumer Protection Association (TÜKODER), it was stated that the measures brought on the intercity trip due to the pandemic were loaded on the back of the citizen.

The purpose of the ceiling wage application determined by the Ministry; It was explained as “considering the additional costs that our companies carrying out domestic passenger transportation by road as a result of the measures implemented due to the outbreak of Kovid-19, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization”. (The ceiling fee tariff announced in the Official Gazette can be accessed here.)

80 LIRAS TICKET IS 160 LIRA

According to the statement made by the Consumer Protection Association (TükoDer), bus ticket prices increased by 100 percent to 150 percent due to the said notification. Since the price was determined according to the mileage distance to be reached in the ceiling price application, it was determined that some bus companies were based on the long road mileage and there were differences between the prices, instead of determining the price by calculating the mileage on the highway shortening the mileage. Some companies have also complained that they reflect the toll prices on the ticket prices.

It was stated that citizens who remained at home due to the Kovid-19 outbreak, who were economically in a difficult situation as a result of falling household income, expressed their complaints when they learned about ticket prices at bus stations, some bus companies made calculations on the highway, not the highway.

According to the information received by TükoDer, the price of Istanbul-Ankara tickets, which were previously 75-80 TL, was 160 TL, and the price of Giresun, which was 140-150 TL, was up to 275-340 TL. Tickets from Istanbul to Antalya were 200/220, 100 TL to Bursa, 170 TL to Izmir and 250 TL to Sivas. "It is not possible to be surprised when you see the prices. This practice is against article 172 of the Constitution. As it is clearly stated in the purpose of the communiqué, this application has been implemented by taking into account the additional costs of the companies carrying passenger transportation. ”

COST SHOULD BE MADE FROM TAXES

In the statement, which was stated that it is not a matter of reason to raise 100% to 150% of the tickets by reflecting the bill of the epidemic to the citizen, it was said:

“For the additional costs incurred due to the lowering of the passenger capacity, the bus prices are reduced to the prices at the beginning of March, it is our request for 83 million consumers to reset the VAT on the diesels used by the buses temporarily, to provide free passes through the motorways and bridges, and to reset the entrance and exit fees from the bus terminals.

The economic cost of the Kovid-19 epidemic cannot be broken down on the back of the consumer, and it is unacceptable that our citizens whose household income has fallen due to the epidemic is left to starvation. Cheap, quality transportation is the universal right of the consumer. Under the 172 articles of the Constitution, we invite the state to take 'protective measures' for consumers. ” (Source: Universal)