IMM President Ekrem İmamoğlu, participated in the launch of the sea taxis to be produced at the Golden Horn Shipyard on the 170th anniversary of the establishment of the City Lines. Speaking here, İmamoğlu said, “Sea transportation in Istanbul is not in the place it deserves. Its place in public transportation is around 3 percent. We want to increase this to 10 percent or even higher. Our sea taxis will be 50 in the first place. We can increase the number according to demand. We plan to put it into service in the summer of 2021,” he said. İmamoğlu also noted that the color of the water taxis will be determined by the people of Istanbul.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) President Ekrem İmamoğlu, participated in the launch ceremony of the sea taxi held at the Golden Horn Shipyard. The first step has been taken to realize Imamoglu's promise, which is among his election promises. The promise of “increasing the share of maritime transportation in public transportation” is being realized. In the program held on the 170th anniversary of City Lines, CHP Party Assembly Member Eren Erdem, IMM Deputy Chairman Hüseyin Aksu, IMM Secretary General Can Akın Çağlar, Küçükçekmece Mayor Kemal Cebi, especially IMM Assembly CHP Group Deputy Chairman Doğan Subaşı, and CHP Group Deputy Chairman Doğan Subaşı. Members of the Assembly and the top management of IMM were present.
SİNEM DEDETAŞ: "SEA TAXI WILL CLOSE A BIG GAP"
Speaking at the ceremony for the first time, City Lines General Manager Sinem Dedetaş said, "We are starting this work, which is part of our dream of using the sea effectively." Stating that serving as public transportation is very costly, Dedetaş said:
“When we need to shorten the time we spend in transportation at many points where sea transportation is not suitable or when the scheduled hours do not suit you, you now have a new alternative. Sea Taxis will serve as the smallest ships in our sea fleet, but will fill a huge gap. We hope that Sea Taxis, which will serve regardless of a specific tariff and route, will be used with pleasure and become a part of transportation. "
COLD WEATHER IS NOT DIFFICULT
Ekrem İmamoğlu On the other hand, he started his speech by stating that the cold weather is generally uncomfortable and continued, “But now the cold does not bother us at all. Both snow and cold make us happy. We are indeed dealing with a drought. We wish this drought to turn into abundance and abundance as soon as possible. This Sunday, we greet dear Istanbulites from the shipyard, which is perhaps one of the most historic and ancient places in Istanbul.
Stating that Haliç Shipyard is an enormous area and a very powerful place with its 600 years of history, İmamoğlu drew attention to the fact that the shipyard has been a ship production center from the past to the present. Saying, “I hope we want him to have an identity that will continue to exist”, Imamoglu continued his speech as follows:
“On this occasion, we will celebrate the 170th anniversary of our City Lines organization today. Together, we will make this beautiful celebration ceremony and the production start of the Sea Taxi, which will color that ceremony. I think every piece of work is like a serious product and never comes off the shelves. We are at the launch of the Istanbul book with its ferries, we are together. Very valuable names have contributed to this book. I read valuable information with excitement whenever possible. That is why we are happy to be here on three such occasions. "
It makes me happy to reveal the valuable points of the city
Stating that bringing the past and the future together is the nobility of the city, İmamoğlu said, “We should always make us feel this dignity in every environment so that we know the value of this city and not harm this city. Therefore, it makes me incredibly happy to live such precious moments and to find such precious places and points of the city, to reveal, to keep alive and to renew. "Every time I am experiencing an incredible excitement in this sense," he said.
PROVINCE DOES NOT MEAN TO MAKE MONEY
Emphasizing that they want to make the time spent while using sea transportation quality, İmamoğlu said, “At the same time, we know that we have to offer it to the service of Istanbulites in a cheaper way. We really want to take maritime transport, even below three percent, to tens or even higher. Of course, it has its requirements. We can think of transportation as follows most of the time. Yes, it is important that it rotates its own economy. But sometimes public transportation, especially the fact that sea transportation is active in our cities, does not necessarily mean making money ”. İmamoğlu continued as follows:
SEA FREIGHT HAS THE TREATMENT OF ÜVEY EVOLAT
“Meeting the needs of the people and providing a healthy means of transportation to the society are among our responsibilities. The people of Istanbul should and will enjoy the pleasure of traveling on the sea. Obviously, in 2005, City Lines, affiliated to Turkish Maritime Operations, was transferred to IMM. But it was as if they could not be fully intertwined. We think that shipping in Istanbul is a bit like a stepchild. This point of view was actually troublesome. When we look at the development of City Lines ferries; we saw historic ferries thrown aside, almost abandoned to decay. In fact, instead of the city ferries, which are the symbols of the city, ferries were built with a design that has nothing to do with Istanbul and makes all Istanbulites unhappy. You look at phone booths and taxis in London, you say London. For Istanbul, Şehir Hatları ferries are just such a symbol. When you look at them, you say this is Istanbul. You experience that pleasure. Heritage to be preserved, so to speak. It must be protected. First of all, the heritage to be protected. We look at it completely with that eye. It is necessary to protect the core, the main cell of this business. This is here, Haliç Shipyard. "
WHEN I FIRST COME HERE, I SEE HAPPINESS IN THE EMPLOYEES
İmamoğlu expressed the innovations they made in maritime transportation after taking office as follows:
“Ferry services should be uninterrupted. We switched to a 24-hour service approach. Islands are an important destination for Istanbul for ferries. We increased our trips there. We provided the connection to the Anatolian side and the Islands. At the same time, we are developing different travel stages within the Bosphorus. Beykoz and Sarıyer are some of them. At every moment, we offered the city to the public with cheap transportation. It worked a lot in certain time zones and increased the number. When I first came to our Haliç Shipyard, which was about to close, I saw the despair on the faces of the employees. Their faces were sullen. The laborers, masters and apprentices serving here have been here for 2-3 generations. There is an incredible tradition. I enjoy watching it with pride. "
SEA TAXI HAS BEFORE Tried
Reminding that the sea taxi application was tried by the previous administrations but was not successful, İmamoğlu said, “Unfortunately, these works do not happen because the base is not well-established and the system is not well-studied. Years pass, and we are hardly cleaning up these sea taxis returning to the garbage dump in the Golden Horn. "We had these sea taxis, which were barely left to rot, to a warehouse," he said.
20 SEA TAXI WILL BE OPERATED IN THE FIRST STAGE
Stating that the new sea taxis will be suitable for the spirit of Istanbul, İmamoğlu also shared the following information about sea taxi and its production:
“It will be a stakeholder with the main discipline of IMM. He will be aware that this is as much identity as a service. We want to present it in the summer of this year with a corporate structure that makes it feel. We want to add 50 sea taxis to the system. In terms of both numerical understanding and more sustainable service, if 50 is not enough in sea taxi, we should put more to our target. Our sea taxis will have a capacity of 10 people and will transport you from Adalar to Sarıyer, from Beylikdüzü to Üsküdar, from Pendik to Bakırköy. These taxis will be produced in this shipyard, which was entrusted to us from Fatih Sultan Mehmet 565 years ago. Sea taxi will be put into practice with a system to which up-to-date digital technological communication also contributes. Don't worry, don't hesitate. We will overcome these difficult days. The Covid-19 struggle will be overcome with science and reason. And Istanbul is one of the centers that will experience the greatest enthusiasm for serving humanity. I want all our friends to feel this excitement and energy. Because we need to be ready in every way. Istanbul should be ready with its subways and husband and wife parks. We need to prepare this city for tourists coming to Istanbul. We will prepare all these with our principles. "
SIGNED FOR THE PRESIDENT
Following the speeches, his book titled “Istanbul with Ferries”, prepared by Adil Bali with the contributions of Ahmet Güleryüz, was signed by these two names and given to Mayor İmamoğlu.
THE FIRST RESIN PUTS
Following this ceremony, İmamoğlu, together with Dedetaş, applied the first resin to the prototype of the sea taxi and said, "Good luck to all of Istanbul". Istanbulites will determine the color of the sea taxis. Citizens who will vote from the kiosks placed on the ferry ports will determine the colors they want to see in sea taxis. İmamoğlu, who took over the kiosk after the program, asked Eren Erdem, Doğan Subaşı and Kemal Çebi, who were among the guests, to vote, “It would not be right for me to vote. Please vote ”and the first vote was held for the sea taxi. The system, in which all Istanbul residents will vote, will continue until January 24.
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