ISTANBUL: Uber faces being banned in Turkey after President Recep Tayyip (pictured) Erdogan said the ride hailing app was “finished” on Saturday following an intense lobbying campaign from Istanbul taxi drivers. Erdogan’s comments, in a late night speech on Friday in Istanbul, came after the government agreed new rules that are expected to severely complicate Uber’s operations in Turkey. Drivers of Istanbul’s yellow taxis have over the last months waged an intense campaign to have Uber banned, saying the company is eating into their business without having a proper legal basis for work.
“This thing emerged called Uber or Muber or whatever,” said President Erdogan. “But this issue is now finished. It’s over now.” “Our Prime Minister (Binali Yildirim) made the announcement. We have our system of taxis,” he added. Yildirim’s government last month issued a directive sharply hiking fines and threatened blacklisting for companies whose vehicles illegally work as taxis. — AFP
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