Unlicensed taxis face heavy cash penalty

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

The estimated number of unlicensed taxis is about 90,000, while there are 75,000 registered taxis. Parliament approved a draft bill to combat illicit taxis. DHA photo

A recently enacted omnibus bill, that includes abolishing strikes in the aviation industry, is also set to impose heavy penalties on unlicensed taxis.

The law increases the duration that vehicles used as unlicensed taxis will be prohibited from usage from 15 to 60 days.

The licenses of drivers who run such taxis will also be revoked for six months.

Unlicensed taxi drivers will also be subjected to a monetary fine of 1,950 Turkish Liras the first time they are caught, while drivers will be assessed a fine of 3,250 liras if they are found violating the law a second time in the same year.

Customers who board an unlicensed taxi, meanwhile, will be fined 215 liras.

There are an estimated 90,000 unlicensed taxis in Turkey, daily Radikal reported June 1.

Registered taxis have long struggled against their unlicensed rivals, with taxi associations claiming that the government loses 100 million liras a year because unregistered taxi drivers do not pay taxes.

There are more than 75,000 taxis in Turkey, of which 17,395 are in Istanbul, according to Finance Ministry records.

The reason behind such a high number of unlicensed taxis is the fare difference, which can run as high as 50 percent, between them and licensed taxis.