Private owners of public buses affiliated with the Istanbul Electric Tramway and Tunnel Establishments (IETT) gathered in front of the main opposition-run Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s (IBB) headquarters in Saraçhane to protest, claiming they had not received their payments.
Representing private owners of buses that run on public lines associated with the IETT, the group assembled under tight security measures, alleging that the IBB had failed to fulfill their payment obligations.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Erhan Güneş, spokesperson for the Private Owners of Public Buses Platform, stated that the lack of payments had rendered them unable to operate their businesses.
“If these problems are not resolved, we will have no choice but to stop operations. We can no longer keep our vehicles running. We cannot provide for our families or pay our debts. There isn’t a single tradesperson left whose financial credit remains intact,” Güneş said.
Güneş accused IBB officials of stalling them for months and breaking their promises to resolve the issues.
He also claimed that IETT’s General Directorate was subjecting them to psychological pressure and arbitrary inspection criteria.
“We are tired of the psychological pressure and mobbing by the IETT General Directorate. TÜVTÜRK (authorized vehicle inspection station) inspection standards are not applied here; instead, the IETT general director has implemented 240 unique inspection criteria that are not part of our guidelines or technical specifications. Vehicles are sent to their inspection stations, and unnecessary defects that do not endanger life or property are used as excuses to stop vehicle operations. This affects both Istanbul residents and us. The IETT General Directorate must put an end to this mobbing immediately,” he said.
Güneş further alleged that the IETT general director, with a military background, managed them as if they were conducting military drills.
“The IETT general director is running this operation like a military drill, morning and evening. This is a commercial operation. The aim should be to maximize fleet efficiency, but the general director seems intent on minimizing it. Vehicles are being pulled from service without valid reasons, even when they have no safety defects, leaving Istanbul residents and us at a disadvantage,” he added
Güneş emphasized that the bus fleet has nearly TL 5 billion ($140 million) in outstanding payments for 3,041 vehicles and urged immediate action from IBB.
“We are not here out of choice. We ask the people of Istanbul to hear our plea. Everyone is represented here. Mr. Mayor, please solve this problem as soon as possible. If these issues are not resolved, we will shut down operations,” he added, calling for Ekrem Imamoğlu, the mayor of the city, to fix the problem.