After years of delays, blockages and complaints, Turkey’s largest city is finally getting 2,500 new taxis that can only be summoned using an app.
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s Transportation Coordination Centre, UKOME, finally on Thursday approved a licence for 2,500 new taxis after years of delay. The new taxis can be only used by a digital app and drivers will not be able to choose their passengers.
“With the Application-Based Taxi System, we are moving to a modern, safe, accessible, auditable, transparent and technological taxi system,” Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party, CHP, said on Thursday.
Imamoglu has long argued that Istanbul’s current taxi fleet is insufficient, citing increasing complaints from locals and tourists.
But until now, his proposals to introduce new taxis were rejected by the UKOME, which is majority controlled by the central government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
However, despite the ongoing political rivalry, the government changed its position on Wednesday ahead of the vote at the UKOME on bringing in new vehicles.
“We will approve the Application-Based Taxi Transportation System in order to solve the taxi problem that is the subject of complaints of our citizens living in Istanbul,” Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu said on Wednesday.
Istanbul is Turkey’s largest city, with a population of 16 million. With students, daily commuters and tourists, the city’s population increases by millions more on a daily basis. However, the city has had only 18,395 taxis and the number has not changed since 1990.
According to the Istanbul Technical University’s research, Istanbul needs at least 43,000 taxis in total.
Istanbul Municipality aims to solve the chronic problem with a digital approach. The new taxis will be used via a digital application and integrated taxi stations. New taxis will also have a plate starting with T and will have a distinctive colour different to the current yellow-coloured taxis.
The taximeter will be integrated to the app and drivers cannot charge passengers extra. App-based taxi drivers will also not be able to refuse passengers depending on their final destination.