Court annuls decision on Istanbulkart student discount: 'Based on assumptions'

The lawsuit filed in August 2024 by Murat Türkyılmaz, spokesperson for the AKP group in the IMM Council, to annul the IMM Council's decision has been concluded.

In its ruling, the Istanbul 2nd Administrative Court stated that upon examination of the IMM Council's decision dated July 11, 2024, the UKOME decision dated July 25, 2024, and the commission reports regarding the preparation process for these decisions, it was observed that no justification was provided for the differential treatment applied to public transport fares for students who have reached the age of 30.

The court's decision stated the following:

"While it is understood that the defendant administration did not classify students who have reached the age of 30 based on their education level (secondary/higher education), type of education (open/formal education), employment status, or income, and did not take individual differences into account, it has been concluded that the public transport fare regulation, which was made solely based on the assumption that this age group has high labor force participation without considering differences in education level, education type, or income status, undermines the fair balance between the intended public interest and the rights of students who have reached the age of 30 and are subjected to differential pricing; therefore, the action in question is not in accordance with the law."

The ruling stated that the age limit of 30 has been removed and the annulment of the action in question has been ordered.