Istanbul, Aug 9 (IANS): Turkish authorities have dramatically hiked fares of public transportation in Istanbul, the country's largest city.

Istanbul Municipality's Transportation Coordination Centre (UKOME) announced a 51.52-per cent increase in the fares, the official Anadolu news agency reported.

With the latest increase, the price of a bus ticket increased from 9.9 liras ($0.37 dollars) to 15 liras, while the price of a discounted student ticket rose from 4.83 liras to 7.32 liras, reports Xinhua news agency citing Anadolu.

The Metrobus fare for a trip between the Anatolian and European sides of the city climbed to 22.25 liras, the Anadolu report said.

The cost of the minimum taxi trip increased from 40 liras to 70 liras, according to the report. The starting fee of the taximeter rose from 12.65 liras to 19.17 liras.

Still, the increase failed to satisfy taxi drivers, who walked out of the room in protest during the UKOME meeting. The new tariffs, which came on the heels of soaring fuel prices, will be in force from August 11 for public transport and August 14 for taxis.