Fines imposed on thousands of taxi drivers in Istanbul

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) announced on Tuesday that it imposed fines on 15,551 taxi drivers and 10,696 taxis over complaints by customers in the first 10 months of 2022. Drivers and vehicles were issued fines of $2,283 (TL 42,560) in total in the same period.

The municipality said it received 63,844 complaints for taxis in the first 10 months of the year and acted upon 28,467 among them in proven cases of rules violation. Complaints include taxi drivers “picking” one customer over another or those refusing to give a ride to short-distance fares.

The municipality is authorized to issue fines and other sanctions to drivers and taxis. In first violation of rules, a taxi driver can be subject to suspension of his/her taxi license for 20 days and, the license can be suspended indefinitely.