Historic Ruling by the Turkish Council of State: End of Unauthorized School Bus Services

The Turkish Council of State (Danıştay) today ended long-standing disputes surrounding school bus services by issuing a ruling described as a revolution in the transportation sector. According to this ruling issued by the Eighth Chamber of the Council, private schools and other educational institutions are no longer allowed to transport students in exchange for a fee using their own property vehicles [1]. This decision emphasizes that school bus services must only be performed by commercial vehicles registered with S-plates [2].

Details of the Revolutionary Danıştay Ruling and S-Plate Requirement This case, which initially began in Izmir with a complaint from the bus and service drivers' union, has now become a judicial precedent for all of Turkey. Danıştay stated in its ruling that the activities of private schools in the field of paid transportation without the necessary commercial licenses constitute a form of unfair competition against professional drivers [3]. According to these new regulations, schools that engage in paid student transportation with their own vehicles will face the cancellation of traffic permits and heavy fines [1].

End of a Long Legal Battle The roots of this ruling go back to a 2018 decision by the Transportation Coordination Center (UKOME) which had banned paid transportation by schools. Although local courts initially overturned this ban, the persistence of the drivers' union and the referral of the case to the country's highest administrative authority, Danıştay, turned the tide [4]. According to reports published in local media, including Adapazarı Akşam Haberleri, this ruling will have a significant impact on the livelihoods of service drivers, especially in areas with a high density of private schools [2].

Impact on Private Schools and Parents With the implementation of this ruling, private schools are only permitted to use their own vehicles for the free transportation of staff and teachers, and any financial transaction with parents for service provision must be conducted through contractors with commercial plates [3]. Experts believe that while this move may cause changes in the cost structure of schools in the short term, it guarantees student safety in the long term due to stricter supervision of S-plate vehicles [4].

Reactions in Adapazarı and the Transportation Sector The head of the service drivers' union welcomed the decision, describing it as the return of rights to their rightful owners. In the city of Adapazarı and other provincial centers, traffic police inspections are expected to intensify at the start of the new academic year on school-owned vehicles to ensure strict compliance with the Danıştay ruling [1][2]. This ruling means that approximately 700 owned vehicles in the Izmir region alone and thousands across Turkey must be removed from the paid transportation cycle [3].