Imamoğlu's response to Martı CEO Öktem: I won't leave it by your side.

CEO of Martı, Oğuz Alper Öktem, reacted to the announcement of 2500 new taxis being implemented in Istanbul, saying "Nazım Salur, the owner of Bitaksi, which has dozens of allegations of irregularities, is officially giving away Istanbul for rent." In response to Öktem, İmamoğlu said, "I told my colleagues to take all legal actions. I will definitely not stand by the person who staged this show."

MARTI CEO ÖKTEM: THEY ARE GIVING AWAY ISTANBUL FOR RENT

The announcement by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) that 2500 new taxis will be implemented in the city has sparked controversy. Oğuz Alper Öktem, CEO of Martı, who has been fighting for shared rides for a long time, criticized İBB, saying, "What a shame for my country. Buğra Gökçe and Gürkan Akgün are officially giving away Istanbul for rent to Nazım Salur, the owner of Bitaksi, who has dozens of allegations of irregularities. Our struggle is just beginning."

İMAMOĞLU: I WILL NOT STAND BY THE PERSON WHO STAGED THIS SHOW

İmamoğlu responded to Öktem. Speaking on Sözcü Tv, İmamoğlu said, "The accusations made against my colleagues and my institution are also accusations made against me personally. I told my colleagues to take all legal actions. I will definitely not stand by the person who staged this show."

"YOU WILL DO THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT THE HEAD OF THE TAXI CHAMBER SAYS"

Regarding the 2500 new taxi project, İmamoğlu said, "Since 2019, we have been addressing the taxi problem and we did not have the understanding of 'let's sell commercial taxi plates and put them on the roads'. We said that we would be in search of a system. Our proposal was rejected 15 times. I was happy to hear those who couldn't answer whether Istanbul needs taxis or not saying that this would be beneficial. Let's make a satirical sentence as well; you will do the opposite of what the President of Istanbul Taxi Chamber, Eyüp Aksu, says.

"WE DECIDED ON THIS NEW SYSTEM A LONG TIME AGO"

His only concern is that taxi meters increase by 100%, and also give us taxi plates. He has no other concern. We decided on this new system a long time ago. Our colleagues went and explained this system. At the end of the day, we made this decision with the unanimous vote of all members. The Minister of Transportation announced that they made such a decision. I thank him. Now this process is being discussed in the parliamentary commission and a decision will be made in the parliament. I claim that even taxis searching for passengers in the field will transition to this area. We will enjoy solving this problem."