How do I get around Turkish cities — the card, the apps, and what it costs?

Every major Turkish city has a contactless transport card that covers buses, the metro, trams, ferries, and shared minibuses where applicable. The card is bought at metro station kiosks and corner shops, topped up at the same places (and at machines in stations), then tapped on every vehicle's reader.

The cities to know:

• Istanbul: İstanbulkart. Covers metro, metrobüs, tram, funicular, public ferries, and most buses. A single tariff applies; transfers within 2 hours get progressively cheaper. The İBB Ulaşım app shows live schedules and the Mobiett app shows arriving buses by stop.
• Ankara: Ankarakart. Metro, ankaray, buses, and most minibuses. EGO Cepte is the official app.
• İzmir: İzmirimkart. Metro, tram, ferries, buses. The IZBAN suburban rail also takes it.

There's a student discount of roughly 50% off normal fare in every city, but you have to apply — usually online with your university enrolment certificate, sometimes in person at a transport office. The discount is the single biggest budget lever for a student moving daily.

Taxis are everywhere and use meters; the BiTaksi and iTaksi apps avoid haggling and surge during night hours. Uber operates only as a taxi-hailing layer in Istanbul, not as private-driver service.