Istanbul authorities have outlined a series of transport and traffic measures ahead of the 2026-2027 academic year, including free public transportation on the first day of school and thousands of additional services to ease congestion.
The measures were presented at a meeting of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s (IBB) Transportation Coordination Center (UKOME), chaired by IBB Deputy Secretary-General Pelin Alpkökin at the Disaster Coordination Center (AKOM).
The new academic year is set to begin on Sept. 14, with authorities expecting around 18,000 school buses to take to the city’s roads and transport approximately 300,000 students.
Under the action plan, public transportation vehicles included in the integrated ticketing system are expected to operate free of charge from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 14.
IBB is also planning 3,665 additional services on IETT, Metrobus and Metro Istanbul to increase public transportation capacity.
