Color stress away in Istanbul's taxis

Soon passengers will find therapeutic coloring books for adults when they take a taxi in Istanbul. As part of a new project, Istanbul's Chamber of Artisan Taxi Drivers (İTEO), is set to introduce special multilingual guides with coloring book sections for passengers.

Part of the social responsibility projects, the two guides, "Beyefendi Taksicinin Misafir Ağırlama Kültürü" (The Gentlemen Taxi Driver's Guide to Hosting Passengers) and "Taksi Müşterisinin Taksi Kullanma Kültürü" (Taxi Culture for Passengers), available in English, German, French and Arabic, have been published to better facilitate taxi use in Istanbul, where traffic jams are a serious headache for both taxi drivers and passengers.

The special guides have coloring book sections, which has recently become a very popular adult pastime to help cope with the stress of daily life. In the last few years, adult coloring books have recently gained notability for their stress-relieving qualities. By stimulating the senses, coloring has been scientifically proven to reduce stress. Passengers who spend time in taxis can enjoy the guides for free.

İTEO President Yahya Uğur said the guides are prepared to raise awareness on taxi culture. "All drivers and passengers can find necessary information in the guide," Uğur added. The guides are also available for companies, hotels and individual taxi drivers upon request.