The health board report verification practice, which was temporarily suspended during the pandemic, has been reactivated in accordance with the Ministry of Health's regulation. In this context, for disabled Istanbulkart users to continue their right to free public transportation without interruption, their report information must be verified through the National Disability Data Bank and the e-Report system.
BELBİM, a subsidiary of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, conducted a renewal process for disabled Istanbulkart users following the resumption of the practice. The free transportation rights of 233,128 out of a total of 433,400 users were automatically extended without the need for any action on their part.
BELBİM sent SMS messages to 200,272 users whose report information could not be verified in the Ministry of Health systems. These users are requested to submit their current report numbers by June 30, 2026, to ensure they can continue to benefit from free transportation without interruption.
THOSE WHO DID NOT RECEIVE AN SMS DO NOT NEED TO TAKE ACTION
Users who need to submit their current report number will be able to send an SMS to 6235 by typing "ISTRPR", followed by a space, their Turkish ID number, and then another space followed by their report number.
Report numbers can still be submitted after June 30. However, since the right to free transportation cannot be defined until the report information is verified, trips made during this period will be charged.
Users whose report information is verified through the system and who have been granted the right to free transportation do not need to apply separately. Therefore, users who did not receive an SMS from BELBİM will continue to enjoy their existing rights.
Those who wish to obtain information about the process can receive support from the ALO 153 Call Center; they can also follow the announcements made on the official Istanbulkart website and social media accounts.
News Source: 12punto
