A Turkish appeals court has ruled that the Martı TAG ride-sharing service cannot be banned by a court decision under current law, delivering a setback to taxi drivers’ chambers that have fought the app for four years, the İhlas News Agency (İHA) reported on Friday evening.
The case was an unfair competition lawsuit brought by more than ten taxi chambers, among them the Istanbul Otomobilciler Esnaf Odası and the Antalya Şoförler ve Otomobilciler Odası, the drivers’ trade bodies in Türkiye’s two biggest tourist and expat hubs. Reviewing the case on its merits, the 14th Regional Court of Appeal (Bölge Adliye Mahkemesi, the intermediate court between first-instance courts and the Court of Cassation) rejected the chambers’ bid to stop the service, according to the reports.
What the court said
According to İHA, the court held that a commercial activity can only be stopped if parliament has prohibited it, or if the competent administration has banned it, restricted it through regulations or made it subject to a licence or permit. None of those conditions applies to Martı TAG, it found.
The court said the platform’s activity falls under freedom of enterprise, which is protected by the Turkish Constitution, and that a general ban imposed by a judge would conflict with the rule of law. It also pointed to a gap in the legislation on urban transport, saying technological change calls for new rules and that writing them is a job for lawmakers, not courts.
Reports did not say whether the chambers will take the case to the Court of Cassation (Yargıtay), Türkiye’s top appeals court for civil and criminal cases, which remains possible.
Martı TAG founder Oğuz Alper Öktem said the company had always trusted in the law and that the ruling had justified that trust. He thanked users and said the service had become part of the daily lives of millions of people.
Why it matters for residents and visitors
Martı TAG, launched by the Istanbul-based e-scooter and moped company Martı, matches passengers with private drivers through a smartphone app, as an alternative to the yellow taxis that dominate city streets. It has long been at the centre of a dispute with taxi drivers, who argue the app competes with them without the same licensing obligations.
For foreign residents and tourists, the dispute is a familiar one. Complaints about taxi refusals, unclear fares and drivers taking long routes are common in Istanbul and in resort cities such as Antalya, and many newcomers use ride apps instead. Friday’s ruling does not create a licence or a new legal framework for such services, but it means a court order is unlikely to switch the app off while the law stays as it is. The next step, the court made clear, lies with parliament.
Getting around is one of the practical issues covered in our guides to living in Istanbul and living in Antalya. Visitors should also note new digital rules, such as the passport-based e-Devlet requirement for social media accounts, and our checklist for moving to Türkiye covers the paperwork for new arrivals.
Sources
- Martı TAG davasında taksiciler kaybetti! Mahkemeden dikkat çeken karar (İHA/Haberler.com)
- Dört Yıl Süren Martı TAG Davasında Karar Çıktı (Memurlar.net/İHA)
Photo: Danis Khisamutdinov / Unsplash License, via Unsplash
