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Of all the product categories, transport has risen the most in price, with an annual price increase of 119%. This increase is firstly due to that of fuel prices, itself linked to the rise in energy prices on world markets and the fall of the Turkish currency. Unable to pay for their gas as before, more and more Turks are abandoning their cars.
With our correspondent in Istanbul, Anne Andlauer
At a gas station in central Istanbul, Bülent, a taxi driver, fills his tank with an exasperated air. Over the past year and a half, the price of gasoline has tripled: It does not stop, this inflation! Before, the price was already increasing every week… Now it’s every 24 hours! “. In Turkey, inflation is at historic highs, reaching 80% over one year in July, according to official statistics released on Wednesday.
Like others in his situation, Bülent has no choice, the taxi has to go. So the savings, he tries to make them elsewhere, on his personal vehicle. ” My car is still in the red. When I go to the gas station, I only put in a few liters of gasoline at a time. I try to ride less because I can’t afford it anymore! Fuel has become a luxury “, he testifies.
A luxury of which, every day, Turks decide to do without. In an Ipsos poll published at the end of July, 71% of them say they go to work by public transport, whereas they used to take their own vehicle. “ I don’t use my car at all anymore, it sleeps in front of my house. I take the bus… It’s not ideal, it’s crowded, I often have to wait for the next one or walk to another stop… I’ll have to get used to it, the prices aren’t about to drop! says Bekir, an accountant by profession.
Proof of this phenomenon, in Istanbul, the monthly number of passengers in municipal transport jumped by 67% in one year.
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