Bad news for millions of retirees: 'Year of Retirees' is over, discounts have ended

Throughout 2024, retirees were supported with various campaigns as part of the "Year of Retirees," and significant advantages were offered through public and private sector cooperation.

Special discounts provided in many areas, from Turkish Airlines to Agricultural Credit Cooperatives, and from cinemas and theaters to chain markets, have come to an end as 2024 has passed.

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu had also announced that a 10% discount would be applied to train services under the ministry for retirees within this scope. Additionally, a 20% discount was applied to intercity bus tickets, providing an extra convenience for retirees.

A RAIN OF PRICE HIKES AND THE END OF DISCOUNTS

However, with the new year, price hikes and regulations have begun to strain the budgets of retirees. Following the hikes on bridges, highways, and tunnels, the Republic of Türkiye State Railways (TCDD) increased ticket prices for High-Speed Trains (YHT), main line, and regional trains by 44% as of January 13.

On the other hand, the increase rates applied to retirement pensions remained below expectations. While SSK and Bağ-Kur retirees received a 15.75% raise for the first six months of 2025, civil servants and civil servant retirees received an 11.54% raise.

TRAIN AND BUS DISCOUNTS REMOVED

According to the report by Ekonomim, since the "Year of Retirees" has ended, the discounts provided to retirees on train and bus tickets have also been canceled. TCDD's 10% retiree discount was removed from practice as of December 31, 2024. If this discount had continued, retirees would have paid:

702 TL instead of 780 TL on the Ankara-Istanbul line,

324 TL instead of 360 TL on the Ankara-Konya line,

351 TL instead of 390 TL on the Ankara-Eskişehir line.

Similarly, the 20% retiree discount applied to intercity buses was also removed. With the price hikes on bus tickets in the new year, average prices became as follows:

Istanbul-Ankara: 500 TL,

Istanbul-Izmir: 600 TL,

Istanbul-Konya: 1,000 TL.

If the discounts had continued, retirees would have paid:

400 TL instead of 500 TL on the Istanbul-Ankara line,

480 TL instead of 600 TL on the Istanbul-Izmir line,

800 TL instead of 1,000 TL on the Istanbul-Konya line.

News Source: 12punto