17.01.2026 23:11
It was claimed that a taxi driver waiting in front of a shopping mall in Ataşehir, Istanbul, refused to accept a ride for four passengers for various reasons and dropped them off from the vehicle. It was learned that two of the passengers who got into the vehicle were disabled, and after the incident, the taxi driver was fined 11,629 lira in administrative penalties, and the vehicle was also banned from traffic.
A taxi driver who allegedly refused to accept 4 passengers, 2 of whom were disabled, in front of a shopping mall in Ataşehir, Istanbul, citing various reasons, has been banned from driving.
FIRST USED TRAFFIC, THEN THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS AS AN EXCUSE
The incident occurred in front of a shopping mall in Ataşehir. According to the information obtained, a taxi driver waiting in front of the mall did not want to take the passengers, citing traffic congestion as a reason. After the passengers stated that they were going to a different location, the driver accepted the ride, but upon realizing that there were 4 people in the vehicle, he canceled the ride and got the passengers out of the taxi.
2 OF THE PASSENGERS PROTESTED BECAUSE THEY WERE DISABLED
It was claimed that the taxi driver reacted by stating that 2 of the passengers were disabled, while one of the victimized passengers recounted their experience with the words, "Despite telling him we were disabled, he did not take us at all." Citizens who witnessed the incident also reacted to the taxi driver's behavior.
"HE DID NOT TAKE US AT ALL DESPITE US TELLING HIM WE WERE DISABLED"
One of the passengers, Ufuk Ünal, stated that despite 2 people, including himself, indicating that they were disabled, the taxi driver persistently refused to let them in the vehicle, recounting their ordeal with the following words: "We came out of a shopping mall in Ataşehir with my family. It was very cold and it was raining heavily, so we tried to find a taxi. The first taxi driver we found said he was not working, and the second one asked, 'Is it towards Bağdat Avenue?' I said, 'No, it's towards İçerenköy.' However, since there were disabled individuals in my family, the taxi driver initially thought I was alone and let me in the car. Later, my father got into the taxi, and when he did, the driver asked, 'Is it from you?' I said, 'Yes, there are 4 of us.' Upon this, the taxi driver said, 'Get out of the car, I cannot take you.' Despite us saying we were disabled, he did not take us at all and turned his back and left. I recorded a video thanks to my glasses, so there was nothing wrong on our part. We called 153 and made the necessary complaints. We had already waited for nearly 40 minutes for a taxi, and since the weather was rainy, for some reason, Istanbul traffic is always like this; taxi drivers definitely do not want to take us. We experienced hardship because of this."
BANNED FROM DRIVING
The individual identified as O.A. (36), whose identity was determined from the license plate information, was caught. An administrative fine of 11,629 TL was imposed on the individual under Article 2918 of the Highway Traffic Law; Annex 2/5 (Carrying passengers within the municipal boundaries despite the expiration of the work permit/license issued by the relevant municipality), while the vehicle was banned from driving.