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PEOPLE<br />
ISTANBUL<br />
TAXI GALA<br />
<strong>Taxi</strong> World Turkey, Turkey’s<br />
first taxi trade fair, was<br />
celebrated with a gala<br />
evening fit for the occasion.<br />
TAXI.EU LAUNCHES<br />
IN ISTANBUL<br />
Turkey is a proud nation, and so are its companies. As<br />
the host of the gala evening, the company “taxi.<br />
eu Istanbul” invited many exhibitors from<br />
<strong>Taxi</strong> World Turkey, officials from<br />
Istanbul associations, the company’s<br />
partners and of course representatives<br />
of the IRU and<br />
taxi.eu. Ozan Yalcinkaya,<br />
one of the company owners,<br />
gave a detailed presentation<br />
of the new cooperation<br />
between his company<br />
and taxi.eu. Ozan Yalcinkaya<br />
announced the<br />
launch of the taxi-hailing<br />
app, a founding member of<br />
the European network GTN,<br />
in Istanbul in April. In a<br />
megacity like Istanbul with a<br />
traffic density far exceeding that<br />
of many other major European cities,<br />
this hailing service is extremely<br />
useful for saving valuable time and guaranteeing<br />
secure and transparent rates for passengers.<br />
At the same time, the hailing app helps drivers<br />
to avoid empty trips and reduce fuel costs. Ozan Yalcinkaya<br />
encouraged drivers and operators of Istanbul taxi stands<br />
to use the system. <br />
jh<br />
IRU LOWERS<br />
MEMBERSHIP FEES<br />
“One of the biggest challenges that the taxi industry faces<br />
today is the globalisation of competition”, said Rezzan<br />
Dagistani, of the Istanbul office of the <strong>International</strong> Road<br />
Transport Union (IRU), during her speech at the gala evening.<br />
The taxi industry used to be a local industry subject<br />
to local market conditions and governed by local rules. It<br />
has suddenly been confronted by new, large and lavishly<br />
financed global platforms that disregard local rules and<br />
court orders. The IRU <strong>Taxi</strong> Group is facing this challenge<br />
head-on and is currently expanding to cover new members<br />
from all over the world “to make us even stronger and even<br />
more representative”, said Dagistani. The membership fees<br />
were also reformed in order to make it more attractive<br />
for taxi associations and companies to join the<br />
group. The membership fee for active taxi<br />
associations has been reduced by half<br />
to CHF 5000 (around € 4,700),<br />
while associate members pay<br />
CHF 1000 (approx. € 940). Dagistani<br />
invited taxi associations<br />
in Turkey and the<br />
Middle East to join the IRU.<br />
<br />
jh<br />
AWARD<br />
FOR<br />
ALIŞAN<br />
Turkish singer Alişan is a star in his<br />
homeland – especially among taxi drivers,<br />
who voted him the most popular singer in a poll.<br />
He was awarded a large taxi model at the gala by Ertan Ucar,<br />
chairman of a Berlin taxi association and the organiser of the<br />
evening. In return, Alişan gave a live concert during which<br />
he sang and danced among the taxi professionals. jh<br />
PHOTOS: taxi.eu Istanbul, <strong>Taxi</strong> <strong>Times</strong><br />
PHOTO: picturesborn-Nessler<br />
SPECIAL<br />
THANKS<br />
We have often chastised the taxi industry<br />
for its feeble marketing. But there are interesting<br />
exceptions. Like this example from<br />
Vienna. What do the people attending this<br />
concert by the Österreichischen Tonkünstler<br />
on January 5 have in common? They<br />
all order their cabs from radio circuit<br />
40100 and that’s why they have been invited,<br />
for the past 16 years, to the <strong>Taxi</strong> New<br />
Year’s Gala in the Grossen Musikvereinssaal<br />
in Vienna. A concert only for regular<br />
customers and friends of this Viennese<br />
radio circuit. An example of excellent – and<br />
different – marketing. <br />
jh/wf<br />
4
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