Unified public transport card set to launch in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

A new project designed to unify public transportation across the country under a single card system is set to begin partial implementation in Istanbul, with plans to expand the program nationwide.

The Türkiye Card rollout in Istanbul follows an Oct. 31 decision by the megacity's transportation coordination center UKOME.

Initial lines to accept the card will include the Marmaray line connecting the city’s Asian and European sides, the route between Sirkeci and Kazlıçeşme, the suburban line extending to Halkalı and Bahçeşehir and the line from Gayrettepe to Istanbul Airport and Arnavutköy.

"We will provide a great convenience in transportation by offering our citizens an integrated public transportation system," Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdülkadir Uraloğlu said in a statement issued on Nov. 3.

Uraloğlu confirmed that the implementation will begin after the Istanbul Municipality completes essential technical preparations.

Pilot testing for the Türkiye Card has already been launched in the central cities of Konya, Kayseri, Gümüşhane and Yozgat.

The system will be introduced in additional cities, including Ankara, İzmir, Rize, Kocaeli, Nevşehir and Gaziantep, in the coming months. It is expected to encompass 18 provinces by the end of the year, the minister said.

Available at the country's post office (PTT) branches, the Türkiye Card will be offered in two versions: a standard card costing 40 Turkish Liras and a card with debit and prepaid payment features for 60 liras.

The card will be reloadable via PTT centers, banks, mobile application and select businesses. The ministry is also working on special cards for disabled individuals, relatives of fallen soldiers, veterans and those aged over 65, in collaboration with the Family and Social Services Ministry.

“We will eliminate the confusion of different cards in each city, and a single public transportation card will be valid across Türkiye," Uraloğlu stated in a previous statement. He said 47,265 Türkiye Cards have been issued in the pilot cities, resulting in a total of 118,273 trips made so far.

The project is part of a broader initiative to create an integrated system that will eventually allow citizens to use the card not only for transportation but also for payments, money transfers and shopping transactions.