After a move by Turkey to move prohibit the use of vehicles for Uber services, the company announced on Wednesday that they are loyal to business in Turkey and have a long-term commitment to the country, the NTV news website reported.
“We want to work in cooperation with all related local partners in order to develop transportation options in Turkish cities, and we are committed to Turkey as a long-term loyal business partner until the end,” the statement said.
On May 25 the Turkish government changed a regulation governing road transport and increased the fines applied to D2 certificate holders who illegally serve as taxis, according to the Hürriyet Daily News.
D2 certificates allow private companies to conduct the business of unscheduled, contract-based passenger transportation without fares. The new regulation foresees that if a driver uses a D2 certificate for other than a taxi business, 50 points will be applied to the driver’s record, which can be canceled with a payment of TL 3,000. A second infraction will lead to a two-year ban on operating under a D2 certificate.
Taxi drivers celebrated the “death of Uber” following the announcement of the regulation.
There are almost 5,000 Uber drivers in İstanbul, where they have recently received threats and even been assaulted by taxi drivers.
