The proposal of 5.000 new taxi plates and a related new taxi system, brought to the agenda of UKOME by IMM to solve the taxi problem in Istanbul, was rejected for the 11th time by a majority of votes. IMM Secretary General Can Akın Çağlar, who directed the meeting, stated that IMM continues to carry this item to UKOME to make the lives of 16 million easier, and said, “Despite the doubling of Istanbul's population, the number of taxis has remained the same since the 1990s. What was the rationale for the government representatives and the Taxi Drivers' Chamber to say yes to the conversion of 1.000 taxis after they rejected it 5 times? said.
The November UKOME meeting was held at the İBB Çırpıcı Social Facilities under the management of İBB Secretary General Can Akın Çağlar. At the meeting, the new taxi system to be operated by İBB and the proposal to allocate 5.000 new taxi license plates were discussed for the 11th time.
ÇAĞLAR: “POPULATION DOUBLED, THE NUMBER OF TAXI IS THE SAME”
IMM Secretary General Can Akın Çağlar stated that IMM continues to carry this item to UKOME to make the lives of 16 million easier, and said that despite the doubling of Istanbul's population, the number of taxis has remained the same since the 1990s. Stating that if the offer is accepted, the plates will remain in the public domain, Çağlar continued his words as follows:
“We will continue to tell all these facts 15 times and 20 times. As IMM, we have allocated over 18 billion liras for transportation. We subsidized public transportation by 5.5 billion liras in a year for citizens to use cheap means of transportation. What is the rationale for the government representatives and the Taxi Drivers Chamber to say yes to the transformation of 1.000 minibuses and minibuses into taxis after saying no five times?”
ORHAN DEMİR: “35 PERCENT OF PLATE OWNERS ARE FEMALE”
IMM Deputy Secretary General for Transportation Orhan Demir pointed out that some taxis have more than one owner and 35 percent of license plate holders are women. said.
At the meeting, 5.000 new taxi license plates and the related new taxi system proposal, which were put to the vote in the name of other evaluations, were rejected by the majority of the votes of the Ministry representatives and the President of the Istanbul Taxi Drivers' Chamber for the 11th time.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION HIRE SENT TO SUB-COMMISSION
At the meeting, the IMM proposal, which includes a 25 percent increase in public transportation, taxi, minibus and service fees in Istanbul, was also discussed. IMM Public Transportation Services Manager Barış Yıldırım pointed out that there has been an increase of around 30 percent in fuel, minimum wage and maintenance expenses in Istanbul since July, and said that they proposed a 25 percent increase in all public transportation vehicles, taking into account the economic situation of the citizens. Yıldırım said that this is an offer at the lowest limit.
IETT General Manager Alper Bilgili also stated that there has been a 40 percent increase in foreign currency and a 35 percent increase in fuel in recent months and that IETT expenses have been greatly affected by foreign exchange, and said that the last 1 lira fuel increase reflected on IETT as an additional cost of 600 thousand liras per day. Bilgili noted that even if they do not want to, it is necessary to make a raise for the continuation of the service.
Expressing that he experienced very serious income losses during the pandemic period, Ozgur Soy, General Manager of Metro Istanbul AŞ, said that a 25 percent increase would be the lifeline. Sinem Dedetaş, General Manager of ŞehirLines, said that after the last fuel tender, fuel expenses increased by 100 percent and that a raise was absolutely necessary for the continuation of sea transportation.
IMM Deputy Secretary General for Transportation Orhan Demir stated that companies could not even bid for IMM's tenders because there is uncertainty in foreign exchange and the market, and underlined that the offered offer is the minimum price to save the situation.
TRADES REPRESENTATIVES REQUESTED A 60 PERCENT RISE
Eyüp Aksu, President of the Istanbul Chamber of Taxi Drivers, stated that the expenses of the tradesmen were increased by 100 percent and that the tradesmen were in a miserable state, and offered a 60 percent increase in all public transportation vehicles. Other tradesmen representatives also stated that there were serious increases in fuel, spare parts and maintenance expenses, and said that either IMM should subsidize them, or at least 40-50 percent increase should be made, otherwise the tradesmen would come to the point of contact closure.
After the Representative of the Ministry of Transport, Serdar Yücel, said that it should be discussed in the subcommittee to have a good understanding of the details of the issue, otherwise they would vote against, IMM Secretary General Can Akın Çağlar voted to refer the proposal to the subcommittee. The proposal was unanimously referred to the subcommittee. The representatives of the tradesmen stated that the December meetings should be held at the beginning of the month, otherwise the tradesmen would suffer.
The Representative of the Ministry of Transport, Serdar Yücel, said that the issue was brought before them at the last moment, therefore, it should be discussed in the subcommittee to know the details, otherwise they would vote against it. Tradesmen representatives also stated that there were serious increases in fuel, spare parts and maintenance costs, and stated that either IMM should subsidize them, or that a minimum increase of 40 percent should be made, otherwise the tradesmen would come to the point of contact closure.
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