Number of Uber vehicles in Istanbul reaches 10,100: Association

ISTANBUL

The number of Uber vehicles in Istanbul has reached 10,100, while the number of Uber drivers is 15,000, growing in numbers every day, the chair of a transportation association told daily Habertürk on May 31. 

“Uber cannot find the time to register new vehicles. A total of 150-200 vehicles get registered with Uber on average per day,” said Ersin Kula, the chair of the Transportation and Tourism Services Association, which Uber drivers are members of.

Also commenting on the issue, former Istanbul Chamber of Taxi Drivers head Yahya Uğur said: “The number of Uber vehicles is increasing every day. It has reached around 10,000 right now.”

Uğur’s comments came after the government ordered a change in road transportation regulations to increase fines imposed on Uber drivers. “The fine regulation is a good step but unless a tight inspection is carried out, it does not have any meaning,” he was quoted as saying by daily Habertürk.

Regarding the government’s fine rule, Kula said they were going to appeal the case with the Council of State, the highest administrative court in Turkey. “Uber is going to resist until the end, it will not leave Turkey,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Istanbul Chamber of Taxi Drivers filed a lawsuit demanding Uber gets banned in Turkey. The next hearing of the case will take place on June 4.