By Kenan Irtak

ISTANBUL 

A new luxury taxi service that aims to provide more comfortable and upgraded experience for customers, was launched in Istanbul on Tuesday.

The first luxury taxi belonging to the Ataturk Airport Taxi Drivers Cooperative hit the streets of Istanbul.

The specially designed taxis, which have the capacity to carry nine passengers and are equipped a mini-bar, cost twice as much as normal taxis, according to the cooperative.

The Ataturk Airport Taxi Drivers Cooperative said that it started to offer the luxury transportation services in order to counter unlicensed taxis.

“Our aim is to fight against Uber and unlicensed taxis. We also want to prevent taxi drivers to demand higher prices,” Lami As, a luxury taxi driver told Anadolu Agency.