Brothers İlhan and Murat Yaşar set out a few years ago to mount small LCD screen televisions in the backs of their taxis, thinking it would be the perfect way to show advertisements. Over time, the brothers expanded their offerings to include other features such as laptops, cameras and even black boxes that record sounds and images.
The two brothers have taken everything into consideration when it comes to looking out for the customer as well as driver safety. This includes the interior and exterior video cameras that are constantly recording events in the taxis, so that in any situation, such as when a driver is being held up, the "Tagis" system (Transportation Safety Watching System) gives an immediate warning to a call center. Tagis can be used in any situation where a risk is detected, and when its facial recognition screening program is loaded, it recognizes known criminals immediately.
İlhan Yaşar says he thinks that the Tagis system will lead to the almost complete elimination of taxi hold-ups, which have plagued drivers for years. This system also eliminates passenger complaints that a driver has intentionally used a longer than necessary route to reach a destination, with the purpose of earning more money. This is because the system keeps a detailed record that can be accessed of which roads and turns a taxi has taken. The system also gives a warning sound when a driver goes above the speed limit, and the vehicle can be followed on a road map at the call center by way of its IP Internet number.
But the truely innovative aspect of the system being used by İlhan and Murat Yaşar in their taxis is the fact that people can get all of the work done that they would normally be doing in their offices while whizzing along on the road. E-mails can be checked, free telephone calls can be made anywhere in the world over the Internet, or you can even check to find a certain restaurant, pharmacy or shopping center. This system is one that makes everything much easier for tourists in a new city, and there is even an electronic translator on hand to ease communication between driver and passenger. The Yaşar brothers are being supported in this project, which they hope to see spread to all İstanbul taxis, by İstanbul Atatürk Airport Tourism Taxi Drivers Cooperative President Fahrettin Can. Can notes that if they can find a sponsor, all of the taxis serving airport clients will be outfitted with the equipment that the Yaşar brothers have put in their own taxis. He also noted that currently they are waiting for word from the İstanbul Municipality as to whether or not they can go ahead with their plans to turn the fleet of airport taxis into roving offices.
