The Transportation Coordination Center (UKOME) under the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) reached a consensus to approve a proposal addressing the city’s taxi service issues in a meeting held at Çırpıcı Social Facilities on August 29, 2024. According to the decree, 2,500 new taxis will be commissioned. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu commented on the acceptance of the verdict with a post on the social media platform X stating, “May 2,500 new taxis bring good luck to Istanbul. With the Application Based Taxi System, we are moving to a modern, safe, accessible, auditable, transparent, and technological taxi system.”
During the meeting, the IBB Deputy Secretary General Gürkan Akgün expressed that the municipality had been working to combat the reigning taxi problem in Istanbul for quite some time. Previous attempts made by IBB officials to increase the number of taxis have been rejected fifteen times. In May 2024, stakeholders came together to debate possible solutions for the issue in the Istanbul Taxi Workshop. According to the Deputy Secretary General, seven related subtopics were addressed within the scope of this problem: the institutionalization of taxi services, service quality with social impact and accessibility, environmental sustainability, technological developments, economic and financial models, the working conditions of taxi drivers, and tourism and city image. The action plan was produced based on these headings.
The System
The taxi system will operate through an application. Drivers will not be able to pick up passengers off the road; they will only pick up passengers via the app or at integrated taxi stops. The new taxis will have a special design: they will have a distinctive color and design which will be determined later on, “T” license plates, and a security screen between the passenger and the driver. The taxis will not have headlamps, and the taximeters will be triggered through the app to prevent commissions and additional fees. Payment will be made online. The drivers will receive training and certification from the Transportation Academy and will operate with a working license that will be renewed annually.
Officials hope the new implementation will have several benefits for the passengers, drivers, and administration. Through the app, taxi services will be monitored from start to finish, which administrators believe will lead to an increase in service quality and safety. Furthermore, the app will make finding passengers more efficient, and prevent drivers from refusing passengers depending on their final destination. By incorporating technology, authorities will be able to better control driver behavior and ensure fair treatment for passengers, thus, improving the public’s poor perception of taxi transportation. The administration also hopes that the stricter regulation will reduce vagabond vehicles, and ease the transition into an institutionalized taxi transportation system.
Mixed Opinions
The response to the new practice has differed between individuals. While some people have praised IBB for their efforts, others are more skeptical about whether or not increasing taxi numbers will solve the problem. Some argue that the key to solving the taxi issue lies in dealing with the infamously chaotic Istanbul traffic.
The Istanbul Taxi Drivers’ Chamber, which has rejected the past fifteen attempts to increase taxi numbers, has accepted the new proposal. The head of the chamber Eyüp Aksu claims that they had never been against the idea of adding more vehicles, and had been opposed to previous plans due to their unlawfulness. Although his organization has finally acquiesced to the proposal, he argued the regulation would not solve the problem and emphasized the need to focus on addressing the city’s severe traffic congestion. He also expressed that he believes the taxis should not be bound to the application and that they should retain their headlights.
The Taxi Shortage
The taxi service in Istanbul is notorious for its customer dissatisfaction and inadequate service. In 2023, the municipality received approximately 72,000 complaints regarding taxis while taxi drivers have been complaining about low fares for even longer. According to an IBB newsletter published in 2023, Istanbul has only 1.16 taxis per 1,000 people, which is noticeably lower than other metropolitan cities. For instance, Paris has 2.64 taxis per 1,000 people. The same ratio is 1.60 per 1,000 people in New York. In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in both tourists and residents in Istanbul. However, despite the growth, the number of taxis in the city has remained largely unchanged, intensifying the taxi shortage.
Currently, there are 19,198 yellow taxis, 118 turquoise taxis, 278 luxury taxis, and 717 taxis converted from 8+1 minibuses, which amounts to 20,311 vehicles. Once the new system is implemented, this number will shoot up to 22,811.
(Amount and ratio of taxis in metropolitan cities)
This addition to Istanbul’s fleet of taxis is a step toward raising the standards of transportation to those of other metropolitan cities. Hopefully, the new implementation will provide relief to the city’s residents and tourists alike, allowing them to navigate the chaos of Istanbul’s infamous traffic with ease.
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