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Turkish taxi drivers target ‘Syrian Uber' in Ankara
Turkish taxi drivers target ‘Syrian Uber' in Ankara
Following their victory against Uber, Turkish taxi drivers now move against Syrian migrants whom they have accused of running a “pirate” taxi service in Ankara. Click through for the story in photos (Mert Gökhan Koç - Hürriyet)
“Syrians use their cars and minibuses as pirate taxis in Ankara, charging almost half the normal fees,” local taxi driver Mehmet Candan told daily Hürriyet, showing the pirate service’s promotional business cards in Arabic.
“They have even set up a pirate taxi stop in the Ulubey neighborhood. I have asked one of my frequent customers who has recently stopped calling me and he said he had started to use Syrian taxis now because they are much cheaper,” Candan added.
Taxi drivers in Ankara have said Syrian activity has particularly worsened in the Altındağ district in the past year.
“We have filed complaints with visual evidence to the Ankara police and the Ankara Chamber of Drivers, but there is still no result,” a taxi driver said.
Savaş Gündoğmuş, another taxi drivers, claimed there are around 40 cars used by Syrians as unlicensed taxis, including expensive BMWs or cheap minibuses they have brought from their country and registered in Turkey with a temporary license plate. Turkey hosts some 3.5 million Syrians, more than any other country in the world.
“On certain routes, some of them even work like buses on schedule. They do not pay taxes or license fees or fees for the taxi stop or the chamber,” Gündoğmuş added to explain how the “pirate” prices could be so low.
It was not immediately clear whether there is any ongoing effort from the government to curb unlicensed taxi services throughout Turkey, except Uber, an issue that taxi drivers have recently won a victory over.
“Something called Uber has arisen. But that business is now over. There is no such thing anymore,” said Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım on June 11. Turkish taxi drivers now want the government to stop the "Syrian Uber", too.
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