Uber allows Turks to get e-receipts, triggering rumors of ‘legalization’

ISTANBUL

The ride sharing app Uber has announced that Turkish users of its UberXL service can now receive official electronic receipts, triggering rumors that Turkey may have “legalized” it. 

“With all of our UberXL driver partners, we have switched to an e-receipt system to provide a better experience to our business partners and passengers. You can now easily get an e-receipt for your UberXL rides,” the company’s Turkish Twitter account said on Sept. 24.

When a Turkish Twitter user asked whether the e-receipt would be approved by Turkey’s Treasury and Finance Ministry, the company responded positively.

Despite rumors on social media, it was not immediately clear whether the Uber decision was part of a larger initiative that would legalize the company’s activities in Turkey.

After a series of violent attacks by taxi drivers on Uber drivers, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had intervened on June 1, heralding an end to Uber in Turkey.

“That business is now over. There is no such thing anymore,” he said.

Prime Minister Binalı Yıldırım also said the Uber dispute was “finished” and it is the government’s duty to remove the ride-sharing app’s network.

Since then, the number of Uber cars in Istanbul have significantly decreased as authorities have begun to issue hefty fines both to drivers and passengers.