Published in the Official Gazette: Amendment to the Highway Traffic Regulation! Now mandatory for taxis and shared taxis

The Regulation on Amending the Highway Traffic Regulation, prepared by the Ministry of Interior, has been published in the Official Gazette.

With the amendment, an addition was made to the table under the "Equipment to be Kept in Vehicles According to Their Characteristics" section of the aforementioned regulation.

Accordingly, M2 and M3 class vehicles used commercially for passenger transport under the Road Transport Law, the Metropolitan Municipality Law, and the Municipality Law, as well as public transport vehicles owned by or authorized by municipalities, and taxis and shared taxis, will be required to have a camera system with an image recording device.

The system will show the interior of the vehicle, including the driver's seat, and the road section in the direction of travel, and will record for the entire duration the vehicle is in operation, for a period of at least one month.

Decisions regarding what portion of the recordings should be automatically copied to an IP address and under what conditions may be made by transportation coordination centers or provincial traffic commissions, taking into account local transport conditions.

These records will be kept available for access by the Ministry of Interior (General Directorate of Security and General Command of Gendarmerie) for the purpose of ensuring general security, traffic safety, and public order.

In addition, taxis and shared taxis will be required to have a vehicle tracking system and an emergency button.

The requirement for a vehicle tracking system and emergency button for taxis and shared taxis may be made mandatory by transportation coordination centers or provincial traffic commissions for all or specified vehicles operating under the Metropolitan Municipality Law and the Municipality Law, if needed. The Ministry of Interior may take decisions regarding this to be implemented nationwide.

Documents issued by institutions or organizations authorized by the Ministry of Industry and Technology regarding the installation of these systems will be entered into the vehicle's registration records, and a copy will be kept in the vehicle to be presented during inspections.

Checks on whether the aforementioned equipment is functioning properly at specific intervals will be carried out by the relevant institution.

The requirement to have the aforementioned equipment will not be sought for vehicles within the scope until their first inspection after March 1, 2025.