IMM's new taxi system and 500 new taxi offers, 5.000 of which are accessible, were rejected by the majority of votes in UKOME for the 13th time. Murat Yazıcı, Deputy Secretary General of IMM, said, “The legislative requirements in our country are postponed when the day is up. If a move is going to be made for the comfortable transportation of our disabled citizens and Istanbulites, it should not be postponed.”
The January UKOME (IMM Transportation Coordination Center) meeting was held at Yenikapı Kadir Topbaş Performance and Art Center under the chairmanship of IMM Deputy Secretary General Murat Yazıcı. At the meeting, “Proposal for 500 New Taxi Offerings, 5.000 of which are Accessible, and All of them are IMM's Plates”, came to the agenda for the 13th time.
AUTHOR: "TODAY IS THE DAY FOR TAXI PROBLEM"
IMM Deputy Secretary General Murat Yazıcı stated that as a citizen, he deeply felt the taxi problem in Istanbul and said, “Our attitude is important for IMM to fulfill its public duty. We know that the people of Istanbul think this way, too, from the complaints and demands they conveyed to us through various channels. We are witnessing this together. While we have so many disabled citizens in our city, we also attach great importance to 500 accessible taxis. While there are over 1 million disabled people in our city, we think that there is a need and it will fill a very important gap. I think it will set a good example for our country. As IMM, we expected such suggestions to come from the relevant Ministry and institutions. Unfortunately, in our country, the terms of the legislation are postponed when the day is up. In fact, today is the day, if a move is going to be made for the comfortable transportation of our disabled citizens and Istanbulites, I don't think it would be very logical to postpone it," he said.
IMM Public Transportation Services Manager Barış Yıldırım stated that they see the taxi as a transportation tool, not an investment tool, and said, “We think that the taxi industry should get rid of the investment tool approach. Therefore, we are proposing the supply of 500 new taxis, 5.000 of which are accessible and all with IMM's license plates.
NGOs ALSO REQUESTED ACCESSIBLE TAXI
Şükrü Boyraz, Chairman of the Association for the Disabled of Turkey, also stated that they were invited to UKOME for the first time as people living on the street due to taxi and transportation problems, and thanked them. Emphasizing that when they go out on the street, the municipalities do not have access to other than social support projects, Boyraz said:
“I want to go to work, take my child to the park. If I don't want to take public transport, I want to take a taxi like you. Friends who made a decision at UKOME, please go to work, to the hospital one day with a wheelchair. Use existing taxis. Let's talk again later. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, also ratified by Turkey, states that 'equal living conditions should be offered to everyone'. Sitting in a wheelchair is not our fault. We are the victims of this country's mismanagement. Please enforce the law, don't take us out on the street."
Aziz Koçal, President of the Consumer Protection Association (Tükoder), stated that it is the universal right of every citizen to receive quality, affordable and accessible transportation services, and said that taxi service is a public service. Noting that they could not find a taxi at any time in the morning, noon and evening in Istanbul, Koçal said, “We started to see the rejection of new taxis as if they were in a political conflict. We want a solution from UKOME. If necessary, let's go down to the field and propose the solution together," he said.
THE NEW TAXI SYSTEM IS NOT ACCEPTED FOR THE 13TH TIME
After the speeches at the meeting, Murat Yazcı, Deputy Secretary General of IMM, put the “500 New Taxi Supply Proposals, 5.000 of which are Accessible” to the vote. The proposal was rejected for the 13th time by the majority of the representatives of the Ministry and the President of the Chamber of Craftsmen.
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