Uber Banned in Turkey

The 11th Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of the local court, stating that the reasons put forward by the lawyers of the defendants in the appeal petitions were not of a nature to necessitate the reversal of the decision in the original and consolidated case.

Regarding Uber, which was started to be used in Istanbul in 2014 and serviced by 5 million users in Turkey, the United Taxi Drivers Association and Istanbul Automobile Tradesmen Chamber officials on behalf of the taxi drivers in Istanbul, Istanbul 10th and 11th Commercial Courts of First Instance, and access to Uber. “Unfair competition” lawsuits were filed demanding that the company be blocked and banned from Turkey.

The plaintiffs also requested the cessation of operations of the US company Uber Technologies Inc. In the lawsuit petitions of the taxi drivers, it was claimed that the US-based company, which does not have any tax records in Turkey, made illegal transportation over the internet, and to prevent the taxi drivers from incurring irreparable damages, to protect competition and trade, to prevent tax losses in the country and to reorganize the commercial life. All activities were suspended.

On October 16, 2019, the decision was clarified and an appeal was made.

The Istanbul 10th Commercial Court of First Instance, where the cases were later joined, made its final decision on October 16, 2019, at the end of the trial process, where expert reports were received and discussions took place, and accepted the request to block access to Uber and to ban the company from Turkey.

The court board ruled that Uber’s services constitute unfair competition, that unfair competition is prohibited, that access to “www.uber.com” and Uber mobile applications and Uber XL, where Uber services are offered, are blocked.

With the decision, Uber’s activities in Turkey were stopped. An appeal was filed to overturn the decision.