Istanbul: Bus Companies Confront for Air Passengers
Havaş, the incumbent transport service to Turkey’s main airports, has sued its new rival in Istanbul for confusing the public through brand name and logo similarities and for other non-competitive practices
‘We have brought the issue to court and sued [Havataş] due to the name, logo and [shuttle] similarities,’ says Havaş’s general director Müjdat Yücel.Havaş, a long-established passenger transport service to Istanbul’s main airports, is suing a new competitor called Havataş on the grounds that it is confusing the public with its logo and engaging in anti-competitive practices.
Due to the similarities between the names, logos and shuttle appearances of Havaş and Havataş, passengers have begun confusing the two companies and complaining about services, according to Müjdat Yücel, Havaş’s general director.
“We have brought the issue to court and sued [Havataş] due to the name and logo similarities,” Yücel said, noting that Havaş had been authorized by the Transportation Ministry’s Privatization and Transportation Coordination Center, or UKOME, since 28 years.
Havataş, a company founded by two logistic firms, Günaydın Tur and Çimentur, recently began transporting passengers between Istanbul’s Atatürk and Sabiha Gökçen airports and the city centers, after it won an auction organized by the Istanbul Public Transport Authority, or İETT, in December 2010.
İETT chose to abandon the airport-transfer business because its public transportation buses had no capacity to carry baggage and were not comfortable enough.
Yücel said Havaş’s business had remained satisfactory despite Havataş’s appearance on the market. “Competition always increases quality and protects the consumer.”
He complained, however, that the new entrant had allegedly presented Havaş as a “pirate” firm and had tried to impede the firm’s business. “This makes one think they are looking to be a monopoly,” Yücel said.
Ultimately, the important task is to provide transportation for passengers in a competitive environment, the Havaş general manager said.
Yücel also said his company had twice won court cases over claims that Atatürk airport’s taxi cooperative was not licensed. “We will not remain silent this time either. We are applying to the judiciary. In airport transportation, taxis, metros and public transportation buses are also necessary.”
Other services
Offering alternatives for transportation from airports to city centers is crucial for passengers, said Yücel. “We are not only engaged with the transportation of passengers, but also with other services starting from the entrance to that of the airplane,” he said.
25.08.2011
SOURCE: TURKISH DAILY NEWS
