In a move that would give a significant boost to Turkey’s private sector’s recovery from Covid-19 and its shift towards “green”, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) stepped up its investment in Turkey to a record €2 billion in 2021.
While a large part of the financing is channeled to the recovery of the private sector, around 55% of the funds are allocated for sustainability-supporting projects, including sustainable and green transport solutions.
Following the examples of Izmir and Ankara, Istanbul and Gaziantep have also decided to accelerate their investment in green solutions by joining EBRD’s flagship urban sustainability program Green Cities.
In line with its sustainable and green goals, Istanbul has recently announced its Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP), Turkey’s first human and environment-oriented transportation system, prepared for a sustainable future in line with Istanbul’s unique geography and historical values.
SUMP envisages a transportation system that promotes inclusive, innovative, environmentally friendly, and integrated mobility and accessibility solutions for all citizens in Istanbul.
The signature Turkish technology start-up company Martı is part of the green wave companies that have offered and provided a practical solution to Istanbul’s chaotic city traffic while protecting at the same time the environment with its low carbon emission.
Founded few years ago by the Turkish businessman Oğuz Alper Öktem and his sister Sena Öktem, this was the first Turkish micro-mobility and e-scooter initiative and is now operating in 22 districts in the Istanbul region, but also in other major cities in Turkey, including Ankara, Antalya, Izmir, and Bursa.
Öktem has recently said that their aim is for Martı to be present in 81 provinces for a period of 2 years.
On top of the expanding plans, Martı has also worked to expand its offer with its plans to launch the electric vehicles project in 2022 after several initiatives in the field of shared EVs service.
Martı’s founder Öktem shared his plans for the future of urban transportation when he spoke at the ‘Environmentally Friendly Cities’ panel recently when he also touched on important points such as the inevitability of using alternative transportation methods to deal with the issue of the carbon emission created by vehicle traffic.