Now mandatory for taxi drivers! Deadline is March 1, 2025

As attacks on taxi drivers have increased in recent months, the installation of cameras in vehicles has come to the agenda. Erkan Özkan, President of the İzmir Chamber of Drivers and Automobile Merchants, stated that as of March 1, 2025, commercial taxis without cameras will not be able to pass vehicle inspections.

Pointing out that cameras are important for the safety of drivers, President Erkan Özkan provided the following information:

“As of September 1, 2024, cameras in commercial vehicles were made mandatory by the Ministry of Interior's regulation. In parallel with this, starting from March 1, 2025, vehicles without cameras will not be granted inspection approval at all TÜVTÜRK inspection stations; in other words, they will not be able to pass the inspection. After the incidents occurred, it became clear how important cameras are in terms of finding a solution. Our tradesmen have taken action on this issue and have started installing cameras.”

Explaining that there are 2,915 commercial taxis in 30 districts of İzmir, 1,300 of which have cameras, President Erkan Özkan stated that all taxis are being monitored in real-time.

Stating that the İzmir Chamber of Drivers and Automobile Merchants has undertaken an important task regarding cameras in taxis, Erkan Özkan said that there is an officer on duty at the news center 24/7, and that when a taxi driver presses the button to request help in a potential incident, action is taken immediately and assistance is provided through police teams.

Özkan continued as follows:

“After the button is pressed, a danger signal appears on our screen. From the moment this danger signal reaches our news center, our officer here immediately activates the camera inside the vehicle to see what is happening inside. If there is a dangerous situation, the vehicle's location is shared with the police. Many people can install a camera; however, a camera that cannot be accessed for footage is of no use to anyone.”