Rising school bus fees lead parents to share yellow taxis
With schools in Istanbul about to open, surging bus prices have pushed parents toward a model of sharing yellow taxis and a rotational carpool system among families.
With the rise in school bus fees in Istanbul, parents have started sending their children to school together in yellow taxis and carrying out rotational transportation among themselves to lower costs.
Rising costs push parents to seek alternatives
With just days left until the opening of schools, announced astronomical school bus fees have forced parents in Istanbul to find alternative transportation methods. Facing rising expenses, families have begun searching for new solutions to protect their budgets.
Costs decrease with the taxi-sharing model
Sending children from four families who study at the same school and live in nearby areas in the same taxi significantly reduces the annual transportation cost per person. This model falls to half the bus tariff on certain routes.
Comparison of official bus and taxi fares
While official bus fees for the 2026-2027 period start at 40,000 liras and go up to 200,000 liras annually, shared taxi use by four students over short distances provides significant savings per family.
Legal and operational costs of school buses
The price difference between yellow taxis and school buses stems not only from per-kilometer costs; maintenance, insurance, escort personnel, and legal inspection requirements for buses drive up the total cost.
Advantage decreases as distance increases
Although four-person taxi sharing provides an advantage at distances of around 5 kilometers, as the distance increases, the per-kilometer cost of the taxi rises, closing the price gap with the official tariff.
Security and supervision question marks
This economically attractive practice brings along significant question marks regarding security headings such as children's seat belts, child safety seats, pick-up at the school gate, and supervision.
Private car sharing among families
Instead of taxis, some parents implement a joint system among themselves by dividing days to take turns bringing and picking up the children from school, thereby completely eliminating the bus expense.