Turkey plans to tax e-scooters (!) amid deep economic crisis

A legal regulation covering e-scooters is being considered in Turkey to make them fully legal on the roads, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoğlu has said, as the two-wheeled vehicles have been used widely lately, especially for short distances, amid the coronavirus outbreak.

“People use these scooters in traffic, and it is legally called ‘passenger transportation.’ So, a legal arrangement is a must,” Karaismailoğlu said.

Martı, meaning seagull in Turkish, is the name of the initiative founded in March 2019 in Istanbul, which allows its users to travel with e-scooters through a namesake smartphone application that shows the nearest scooter tied to a lamppost. After the ride, users can tie their scooter anywhere they wish as they require no parking place.

“Lately the use of these e-scooters, Martı, has increased. It is good and has drawn our attention. We are brainstorming the legal regulations. But it is not clear for now,” said the minister.