Taxi association head’s auto seized

Seyit Erçiçek ISTANBUL / Hürriyet

A car owned by Yılmaz Yahya Uğur, the head of Istanbul Taxi Drivers Association, was seized by police at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport for operating as an unregistered taxi. Uğur had recently thanked Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for a new code that fines passengers of unregistered taxis, along with the driver.
Yılmaz Yahya Uğur’s brother, Yusuf Yüksel Uğur, was driving the car when it was stopped by the police.

Driver Uğur, who also runs a hotel in Istanbul’s Taksim neighborhood, said the passengers in the car were Syrian tourists and that he did not receive any money for the lift.

The police refused to listen to his explanations and seized the car, Uğur said, adding that he would sue the officer concerned.

Yılmaz Yahya Uğur also said he was sure that his brother would not engage in unregistered taxi business. His brother has been using the car for three years, he added.

Since the new code stiffening penalties for unregistered taxis in not active yet, Uğur’s car will be kept seized for 15 days only.

Uğur was elected to the association’s top seat on Jan. 24, with a motto saying: “Gentlemanliness returns to cab driving.”