Police in İstanbul fined 29 Uber and Scotty – an online application for carrying passengers by motorcycle – drivers a total of TL 87,174 and 29 passengers TL 9,686 during vehicle inspections on Saturday night after a regulation was passed in parliament to prohibit Uber and similar transportation services from operating in Turkey.
“There was Uber. It is finished. There is no longer any such thing in Turkey,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said during an iftar dinner on Friday.
“It [Uber] exists in Europe. I don’t care. We have made our decision on it. The governor has the authority on this issue. Our interior minister has already given the order. There will be no private taxi system, Uber and that kind of thing. The police will take the appropriate steps,” he added.
Taxi drivers had been lobbying to prevent Uber drivers from conducting business in İstanbul for some time, even filing a lawsuit against Uber.
After the regulation was passed in parliament on May 25, Uber released a statement saying they are loyal to their business in Turkey and have a long-term commitment to the country.