Taxi drivers unsatisfied with fare hike

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

An 8 percent fare hike has failed to satisfy Istanbul taxi drivers. Hürriyet photo

Istanbul taxi fares saw a hike of 8 percent, but the rise failed to meet the expectations of the drivers, according to a business organization.

The new fare hike goes into effect Dec. 17 when taxi meters will see a starting flat rate of 2.70 Turkish Liras, up from 2.50 liras. The rate hike per kilometer will increase from 1.60 liras to 1.73 liras and after five minutes, the one minute waiting period fare will be 0.27 liras, up from the previous 0.25 liras.

Ercan Akköprü, head of the Istanbul Taxi Tradesmen’s Chamber, said Istanbul has 17,416 taxi drivers and the 8 percent fare hike would not be sufficient to cover the costs of fuel and spare parts for the drivers.
“We aren’t asking for much. For the past two years we have been working with lower fares than other provinces in Turkey. If there is a tax on gasoline in the coming period things will be even tougher for us,” said Akköprü.