New regulation for motorcycle couriers: Professional competence and criminal record requirements
With new regulations covering 2 million motorcycle couriers in Turkey, security and oversight will be increased by introducing mandatory professional competence certificates and criminal record checks. The regulation aims to provide social security for couriers and make the sector safer.
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The motorcycle courier regulation, which the Ministry of Interior and the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) have been working on for months, has reached its final stage. While the regulation establishes implementation principles for the protection of motorcycle couriers, it will now require a clean criminal record for couriers in terms of public safety.
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE WILL BE REQUIRED
Within the scope of a protocol to be signed with the Vocational Qualifications Authority, a professional competence certificate will be made mandatory. Couriers will be obligated to report the organizations they serve. If a courier is caught with products related to a job or customer other than the institution they work for, penal sanctions will be applied.
The regulation aims to ensure the social security and safety of motorcycle couriers, while also providing oversight of couriers in terms of public safety. With the Courier Information System (KUBİS) planned for development, all couriers will be registered, and penal sanctions will be applied if couriers are caught carrying products related to a job or customer other than the institution they work for.
HOW WILL THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY BE HANDLED?
Couriers working under the sole proprietorship model, meaning they establish their own individual companies, will work by signing contracts of at least one year with the food, e-commerce, or logistics firms they serve. It has been learned that there may be regulations regarding the coverage of their social security by the companies they work for.
THE ERA OF 'INSTANT JOBS' IS ENDING
According to a report in Sabah, Motorcycle Drivers Federation (MOSEF) President Murat Tomris stated that the number of motorcycle couriers in Turkey has reached 1 million registered, and nearly 2 million including those unregistered, noting that the sector causes billions of liras in tax losses.
Emphasizing that those providing unregistered services take on instant jobs via WhatsApp and Telegram groups, Tomris explained that 'because security procedures such as criminal record requirements are not sought in the sector, almost everyone released from prison starts working as a motorcycle courier as a priority.'
Tomris also stated that drug lords have recently been using motorcycle couriers dressed in corporate uniforms to transport drugs, noting that sometimes motorcycle couriers unknowingly act as intermediaries in drug trafficking.