published 2. June 2022, 5:05 am
Taxi driver Mehmet Kaya urged the city to take action against Uber for 16 days. The Zurich Taxi Association distances itself from the action.
Taxi driver Mehmet Kaya has been protesting outside the Stadthaus in Zurich for more than two weeks.
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“I have been demonstrating in front of the city hall for 16 days,” says taxi driver Mehmet Kaya. – I’m waiting for Mayor Mauch to finally listen to me. The 56-year-old criticizes the city’s treatment of taxi drivers and Uber employees differently. “Everyone should be subject to the same rules and receive the same support,” says Kaya. “Something has to be done because we taxi drivers live in poverty.”
The President’s Department knows about the industrial action. “The taxi driver has repeatedly asked the mayor. Ms Mauch’s plenipotentiary for population affairs explained to him in a letter and during a personal interview at the town hall that the mayor could not help him directly »says spokeswoman Katharina Weber.
Despite being evicted, Kaya plans to continue the protest
“Yesterday the city police came to see me when I protested as usual,” says Kaya. Officers checked his ID card. “Then they said they would arrest me if I protested again tomorrow,” says Kaya. However, he plans to reappear in front of the town hall tomorrow.
The Zurich City Police have confirmed the operation on request. “We verbally removed the man from City Hall for 24 hours,” says Pascal Siegenthaler, spokesman for the city police. “If he resumes the protest during this time, he must expect a referral.”
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Mehmet Kaya, 56, has been protesting in front of the Zürich Stadthaus for almost two weeks.
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He wants to highlight his concerns with his own posters.
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Kaya says the city treats taxi drivers and Uber employees differently.
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“Taxi drivers are struggling with a drop in sales”
When asked, the president of the Zurich Taxi Association, Georgios Botonakis, confirmed that he had known Kaya for several years. It’s true that Zurich’s taxi drivers have been struggling with a drop in sales for several years. The advent of digital providers like Uber has made it even more difficult to do business. “Out of desperation, many taxi drivers have now registered there, even if the trips are not very profitable,” says Botonakis. Nevertheless, he criticizes: “We are clearly distancing ourselves from this protest action.”
“We were not aware of this individual case before,” says Uber spokeswoman Luisa Elster. However, many Zurich taxi drivers use Uber in addition to the classic taxi business to boost their sales.