The Istanbul Transportation Coordination Center (UKOME) has decided to revoke the licenses of taxi drivers accused of overcharging tourists, following a series of credit card fraud incidents.
The decision was made at a meeting at the Disaster Coordination Center (AKOM) in Ey?psultan, chaired by Pelin Alpkokin, Deputy Secretary General of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
According to the information presented, police reports and visual materials confirmed violations such as illegal profit, extortion, fraud, obstruction of registration and illegal activity. In one case, a driver charged a tourist 36,000 liras (about $1,080 / €1,000), while in another incident, 400,000 liras (about $12,000 / €11,200) were withdrawn from a tourist’s account.
Mandatory driver retraining
In parallel, UKOME has enacted a new regulation that provides for mandatory retraining for drivers or transport operators whose public transport vehicle license is suspended for 30 consecutive days or a total of 60 days within a year.
The training will be provided by the municipality’s Transport Academy and will include courses on regulations, city geography, safe driving techniques and basic foreign languages. Participants will have to complete a five-day program, costing 15,000 liras, and pass a final exam to return to work.
Fines and stricter controls
In addition, penalties were approved for a number of other violations, such as not using a taximeter, illegal parking, smoking in a vehicle, driving without a license and drinking alcohol while on duty. According to the data, 1,019 violations were issued against taxi companies and 707 against individual drivers.
Tourist protection and international image
The new regulations reflect the authorities’ concern for the safety of visitors and the international reputation of Istanbul, which is among the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
The municipal authorities emphasize that the goal is to enhance transparency, improve the quality of taxi services and protect both visitors and residents from exploitation.
