Year of Retirees and Social Balance: Imbalance between Discounts and Increases
Within the scope of the ‘Year of Retirees’ announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for 2024, various discounts and campaigns for retirees were implemented.
Especially important organizations such as Tarım Kredi, Turkish Airlines and the Republic of Turkey State Railways (TCDD) have offered attractive advantages to retirees, and the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated that retirees will be given a 10% discount on train travel.
At the same time, there was also a 20% discount opportunity on intercity buses. However, the temporality of these advantages and the economic dynamics behind them should be carefully examined.
On the other hand, the price increases for Turkey’s transportation infrastructure made the permanence of these discounts questionable. Especially the 44% increase in bridge, highway and tunnel tariffs was also reflected in TCDD’s ticket tariffs.
It seems that the increase in pensions does not sufficiently support the purchasing power of retirees, considering high inflation and increasing living costs. The 15.75% raise rate determined for 2025 is limited to 11.54% for public employees and retirees.
With the end of the ‘Year of Retirees’, it was expected that the discounts offered would be abolished. The abolition of the discounts applied by TCDD as of December 31, 2024 was another development that increased the transportation costs of retirees. For example, the ticket price to be paid by the retiree for the Ankara-Istanbul flight did not decrease from 780 TL to 702 TL when the discount was removed, but on the contrary, it increased subject to increased tariffs.
A similar situation occurred in intercity buses. The price increases in bus tickets with the new year, combined with the cancellation of discounts for retirees, have become a limiting factor for retirees’ transportation rights. For example, the discounted ticket price for the Istanbul-Ankara flight has increased to 500 TL instead of 400 TL, which puts a strain on the budget of retirees.
As a result, although the discounts and campaigns offered within the scope of the ‘Year of Retirees’ provided a temporary improvement, they were far from alleviating the financial burdens of retirees in the long term. Economic stagnation, the increase in the cost of living and transportation costs stand out as factors that threaten the quality of life of retirees.
In this context, developing sustainable policies and protecting the living standards of retired citizens is an indispensable necessity.
DISCOUNT ON TRAIN TICKETS HAS BEEN REMOVED
According to the news of Ekonomim, with the end of the ‘Retirement Year’, the discounts benefited by retirees who could receive a raise below expectations have also ended. The 10 percent discount for retirees on YHT, Mainline and Regional trains has been abolished as of December 31, 2024.
If the retirement discount continued, a retiree;
702 TL instead of 780 TL for the Ankara-Istanbul route,
324 TL instead of 360 TL for the Ankara-Konya route,
He would pay 351 TL instead of 390 TL for the Ankara-Eskişehir route.
BUS TICKET DISCOUNT HAS ALSO BEEN REMOVED
With the end of the ‘Year of Retirees’, the 20 percent discount applied to retirees on intercity buses has also been abolished.
With the arrival of the new year, intercity passenger buses also increased their ticket prices.
The average bus ticket price for the Istanbul – Ankara route is 500 TL.
The average bus ticket price for the Istanbul – Izmir route is 600 TL
The average bus ticket price for the Istanbul – Konya route increased to 1000 TL.
If the retirement discount continued, a retiree;
400 TL instead of 500 TL for the Istanbul – Ankara route,
480 TL instead of 600 TL for Istanbul – Izmir route,
He would pay 800 TL instead of 1000 TL for the Istanbul – Konya route.
