Turka’s next-generation vehicle inspection center was unveiled in Istanbul’s Arnavutkoy district. Turka will operate vehicle inspection services in Türkiye for 20 years starting on August 15, 2027.
At the event attended by Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu, a sample inspection was carried out on actual vehicles at the center, which has 2,500 square meters of enclosed space and five lanes.
New system to be implemented in all 81 provinces
Uraloglu said the model center would serve not only as an inspection station but also as a facility where new technologies and operational processes would be tested. Software, equipment and measurement systems will be tested on actual vehicles until August 15, 2027, and the results will be transferred to the centers to be established in all 81 provinces.
Uraloglu said the concession agreement for vehicle inspection services to be operated by Turka during the 2027–2047 period had been signed several weeks earlier, adding that preparations for the new period would be carried out through work at this center.
The unveiled center will use artificial intelligence-supported image processing systems, high-resolution cameras, laser-based measurement and scanning technologies, advanced sensors and robotic systems. Undercarriage and body scanning, tire inspections, brake and suspension tests, and digital measurement procedures will also form part of the system.
Uraloglu said artificial intelligence would not replace technicians. He said the aim was for the technology to support technical personnel’s decisions with objective data, reduce the risk of errors and strengthen inspection standards.
352 centers and approximately 900 inspection lanes planned
Uraloglu announced that an investment program worth approximately $3 billion was planned for the new period. He said services were expected to be provided through a total of 352 vehicle inspection centers, including 249 fixed and 103 mobile centers. Approximately 900 inspection lanes are planned to serve passenger and commercial vehicles, as well as motorcycles and agricultural vehicles.
Vehicle owners will be able to follow the inspection process through digital screens and camera systems in waiting rooms. Inspection results will be available through e-Government, defects will be examined through more detailed digital reports, and no commission will be charged on credit card payments.
The new centers aim to shorten the time between making an appointment and completing an inspection, reduce waiting times and provide services to the same standard in all 81 provinces. Energy efficiency, the reduction of carbon emissions, digitalization and green logistics are also among the planned elements of the system.
Center to host training and research activities
The center in Arnavutkoy will be used not only to test the new system but also for training and research and development activities. Employees who will work in different regions of Türkiye will receive practical training on actual vehicles after completing theoretical instruction.
Data collected during inspections is planned to be transferred to digital reports with visual evidence and sent instantly to the main vehicle inspection systems. The data is intended to be used to improve vehicle safety, analyze faults and defects, support academic research and inform future transport policies.
History of vehicle inspections in Türkiye
Uraloglu recalled that vehicle inspections in Türkiye were conducted until 1985 under the 1953 Highway Traffic Law by a commission comprising representatives of the General Directorate of Highways, the General Directorate of Security and the Turkish Federation of Drivers and Automobile Associations.
Uraloglu said that technical inspections had been carried out by the General Directorate of Highways since 1985, adding that work launched in 2004 brought together public resources and the dynamism of the private sector. He said the first privately operated vehicle inspection station began operating in Elazig on August 15, 2007.
Uraloglu said that more than 213 million vehicle inspections, including repeat inspections, had been carried out over the past 19 years, while the number of vehicles in Türkiye had approached 35 million.
Turka plans 20 years of service
Turka Chairman of the Board Halis Ezer said the new period was a comprehensive transformation program that would serve millions of vehicles in all 81 provinces. Ezer said the approximately $3 billion investment plan covered technology, employees, physical infrastructure and the vehicle-owner experience as a whole.
Ezer said the technologies to be tested, processes to be developed and standards to be established at the center unveiled in Arnavutkoy would be introduced at vehicle inspection centers in all 81 provinces.
Turka Board Member Serhan Salman said the number of vehicles in Türkiye had risen from 10 million in 2007 to nearly 35 million, and that approximately 16 million vehicles were inspected each year. Salman announced that services in the new period were planned to be provided through 249 fixed stations, more than 100 mobile station groups and approximately 900 lanes.
Salman said the stations would use artificial intelligence-supported systems, robotic technologies, three-dimensional imaging, data analytics and cloud systems.
