Istanbul, the economic capital of Turkey, is about to implement a major change in its taxi sector.
After years of complaints about finding a taxi and the questionable practices of some drivers, such as choosing routes and overcharging passengers, the Turkish government has announced plans to significantly increase the number of taxis in the city. The move comes at a time when Istanbul is increasingly committed to strengthening its position in the tourism sector, and the city no longer wants to face the embarrassment of poor taxi service.
AK Party
The ruling AK Party is currently working on legislation that would increase the number of taxis in Istanbul by as much as 73%, which would mean nearly 32.000 taxis in the city. This is a significant increase from the current number and would significantly improve the number of taxis per resident. Currently, there is only one taxi per 861 residents, but with the new legislation, this number would drop to one taxi per 500 residents. This is a significant improvement, although the exact timing of this expansion has not yet been determined. Officials involved in the plan have said that the details are still being worked out and that a final decision will be made at a later date.
Complaints about taxi service in Istanbul have increased exponentially in recent years. In 2023, the municipality received around 72.000 complaints about taxis, ranging from refusing to pick up passengers to overcharging tourists. These complaints have seriously damaged the city’s reputation in transportation, especially as Istanbul seeks to capture a larger share of the tourism sector. On the other hand, taxi owners complain that fares are too low, forcing them to charge extra to remain profitable.
Istanbul’s opposition mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, has repeatedly tried to increase the number of taxis in the city since his election in 2019, but has been repeatedly thwarted by the national government. However, İmamoğlu, a prominent figure in the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has gained a powerful position in the city’s municipal council after his re-election last year. His re-election was seen as a major victory for the CHP, giving the party a majority in the municipal assembly.
new plans
In a recent post on the social media platform X, İmamoğlu announced that Istanbul is close to “increasing the number of taxis and implementing a new taxi system.” The municipality’s Transport Coordination Directorate, which is responsible for regulating transportation in the city, is expected to meet on Thursday to discuss and potentially approve the new plans.
The AK Party’s plans to increase the number of taxis appear to be an attempt to meet the growing demand for better taxi services and to take the complaints of residents and tourists seriously. However, the timing of this announcement, just after İmamoğlu’s re-election, raises questions about the political dynamics between the national government and the local government in Istanbul.
