Taxi fares in Istanbul up by 9 percent

ISTANBUL

Hürriyet Photo

Taxi fares in Istanbul will soon be hiked by around 9 percent for the first time in 18 months.

While the minimum fare will be raised from 2.95 Turkish Liras to 3.20 liras, the fare per kilometer will rise from 1.83 liras to 2 liras, according to a decision announced by Istanbul’s Chamber of Artisan Taxi Drivers on their website.

Therefore, the minimum amount will increase by 8.5 percent, while the fee per kilometer will become 9.3 percent, which is higher compared to the current rate.

The announcement did not state when the new price tariff will go into effect.

Despite the increase, sector representatives have expressed their discontent with the hike, but have claimed it was necessary due to a general increase in prices.

“Of course we couldn’t get the raise we wanted [from the Istanbul municipality]. I wish the prices of everything had remained the same in Turkey so we wouldn’t have had to make the decision [and hike the prices]. But sometimes, an increase cannot be avoided. We were expecting the Istanbul municipality to make a decision to protect taxi drivers more,” chamber head Yahya Uğur said.