Panic Buttons For Istanbul's Taxis

A new security system boasting panic buttons and security cameras has been made available in Istanbul, much to the delight of the city's taxi drivers. 



Yahya Ugur, the chairman of the Istanbul Chamber for Taxi Drivers, said Tuesday that he wished all taxis be equipped with the device, adding that it would increase the safety of not only drivers but passengers as well.



"I believe this system will be beneficial for drivers," Ugur said in a meeting with taxi drivers and the head of the private security firm Evre, which designed the system.



There are about 17,400 taxis in Istanbul, according to the Istanbul Chamber for Taxi Drivers. 



Robberies and assaults targeting Istanbul taxi drivers are not an anomaly. But these cases sometimes go unresolved due to lack of evidence. 



In the past 10 years, more than 100 taxi drivers were killed in various assaults, said the Turkish Drivers and Automobiles Federation in a press release last January.



A cab will be equipped with two panic buttons. While one will be placed close to the driver, the other will be near the passenger.



In addition, two cameras will record what happens inside and outside the cab. In case of an emergency, the video footage from inside will be transmitted to a specific security center.



"If we think that the issue is important, we will alert the police department. If a driver needs medical assistance, we will call a hospital," Erkan Guney, chairman of Evre Security, said during the meeting.



For passengers, it will also increase safety and provide a sense of security, especially for women. 



Memories are still fresh with regards to the brutal killing of a Turkish girl, Ozgecan Aslan, two months ago in Mersin, Turkey's southern province, after she had traveled in a shared taxi.



Taxi drivers welcomed the move. "It will serve as a deterrent to potential attackers," Cetin Ozcan who has been a taxi driver for 10 years in Istanbul.



"I installed the security system two months ago. I have been feeling more secure now. Even passengers are interested in the system," Ozcan added.



Hayrettin Turan, 51-year-old taxi driver, said the security system was essential for drivers, passengers and police officers. "Everybody will control his or her behavior with the introduction of this system," he continued.



A high-ranking police officer, who was at the meeting to find out more about the system, also said the security system would be beneficial. "This system will help us to address complaints from passengers," Metin Alper, deputy chief of police officers in Istanbul, said during the meeting.



Ugur hoped thousands drivers would join this program to increase security in the cab.



Installing the system remains voluntary for now.



www.aa.com.tr/en - İstanbul