Marti Expands Ride-Hailing Network as Rider and Driver Growth Surpasses 2026 Targets
Marti Technologies, Inc. Türkiye’s leading mobility super app, has reached a significant milestone in the expansion of its ride-hailing business. The company announced that, as of September 2, 2026, its ride-hailing service had reached 4.90 million riders and 584,000 registered drivers, allowing it to achieve and surpass its previously established September 30 targets nearly one month ahead of schedule.
Marti had initially set a target of reaching 4.90 million riders and 580,000 registered drivers by September 30, 2026. With the rider target already achieved and the driver target exceeded by 4,000 registrations as of September 2, the company said the latest figures demonstrate the continued momentum of its ride-hailing marketplace across Türkiye.
The growth represents a substantial increase compared with the same period a year earlier. Between September 2, 2025 and September 2, 2026, Marti’s number of ride-hailing riders increased by 85%, while the number of registered drivers rose by 57%. The simultaneous expansion of both sides of the marketplace highlights increasing demand for the company’s mobility services and a growing supply of drivers available to serve riders.
Strong Growth Across the Ride-Hailing Marketplace
The rapid increase in riders and drivers is an important indicator of the scale Marti has achieved within Türkiye’s mobility market. Ride-hailing platforms depend heavily on maintaining a healthy balance between rider demand and driver availability. A growing rider base can generate additional opportunities for drivers, while a larger driver network can improve the availability and convenience of rides for customers.
Marti’s latest results indicate that both sides of this marketplace have expanded significantly over the past year. The company now has millions of riders using its ride-hailing service and hundreds of thousands of registered drivers participating in the platform.
Marti aims to provide riders with rides that are readily available, safe, and affordable. At the same time, its platform is designed to create economic opportunities for drivers across different income levels.
Safety remains an important part of the company’s approach. Marti requires drivers to complete formal background checks before being accepted onto its ride-hailing service. This screening process is intended to contribute to the safety of riders using the platform.
The company also reported strong customer feedback regarding its driver network. Marti’s ride-hailing drivers have an average rider rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars, indicating a high level of satisfaction among users.
New Growth Targets for the End of 2026
With its September targets already achieved, Marti is now looking toward the remainder of the year with more ambitious objectives.
The company has established new targets of reaching 5.65 million riders and 630,000 registered drivers by December 31, 2026.
Achieving these targets would represent another substantial expansion from the company’s September 2 figures. Marti would need to add approximately 750,000 additional riders and 46,000 additional registered drivers between September 2 and the end of the year.
The new targets reflect the company’s confidence in the continued expansion of its ride-hailing marketplace. They also suggest that Marti expects demand for its services to remain strong as it increases its presence in cities beyond its largest market, Istanbul.
The company’s ability to achieve its September objectives ahead of schedule provides additional momentum as it moves toward its year-end goals.
Nationwide Expansion Strengthens Marti’s Position
One of the most significant developments behind Marti’s growth has been the company’s nationwide expansion strategy.
Historically, Istanbul has represented a major market for mobility services in Türkiye. However, Marti has increasingly focused on expanding its ride-hailing operations into other cities in the country.
Following the completion of a 10-city launch in August 2026, Marti’s ride-hailing operations now cover 30 cities across Türkiye. According to the company, these markets collectively represent approximately 85% of the country’s GDP.
The broader geographic footprint provides Marti with access to a much larger potential customer base. It also allows the company to diversify its operations beyond Istanbul and establish a stronger nationwide presence.
Expansion into additional cities can also create opportunities for Marti to capture demand in markets where digital mobility services are continuing to develop. By establishing a driver network and rider base across a wider geographic area, the company can strengthen the reach of its platform and potentially create additional growth opportunities.
The latest rider and driver statistics suggest that this strategy is already influencing the composition of Marti’s marketplace.
Rising Share of Riders Outside Istanbul
Marti reported that the percentage of its riders located outside Istanbul has increased considerably during the past twelve months.
As of September 2, 2026, 46% of Marti’s riders were based outside Istanbul, compared with 35% a year earlier. This represents an 11-percentage-point increase in the share of riders coming from markets beyond the country’s largest city.
The change demonstrates that Marti’s expansion strategy is not simply adding new cities to its operational footprint. It is also changing the geographic distribution of the company’s customer base.
A larger proportion of riders outside Istanbul means that Marti is becoming increasingly diversified geographically. This could reduce the company’s reliance on a single metropolitan market while creating a broader foundation for future expansion.
The development also points to demand for ride-hailing services across different parts of Türkiye. As Marti enters more cities, the company is building awareness of its platform among new groups of riders and drivers.
Driver Network Also Becoming More Diverse
The geographic diversification of Marti’s driver base has followed a similar trend.
The company said that the share of its registered drivers located outside Istanbul increased from 26% to 36% over the past twelve months.
This 10-percentage-point increase highlights the rapid development of Marti’s driver network outside the Istanbul market.
The expansion of the driver base is particularly important for a ride-hailing platform because driver availability directly influences the service experience for riders. A broader network of registered drivers can support greater ride availability and help the company establish operations in new markets.
At the same time, the growing number of drivers outside Istanbul demonstrates that the platform is attracting participants across a wider range of cities. This supports Marti’s objective of creating economic opportunities for drivers throughout Türkiye rather than concentrating its marketplace exclusively in Istanbul.
The simultaneous increase in the shares of riders and drivers outside Istanbul suggests that Marti is developing a more balanced nationwide marketplace.
30-City Footprint Creates a Broader Growth Platform
Marti’s presence in 30 cities represents an important stage in the company’s national expansion.
By covering cities that collectively account for approximately 85% of Türkiye’s GDP, Marti has established a significant operational footprint. The company can potentially use this network as a foundation for further rider acquisition and driver recruitment.
Nationwide expansion can also help create network effects. As more drivers join the platform, riders may benefit from greater availability. In turn, increased rider demand can create additional economic opportunities for drivers, potentially encouraging further participation.
This interaction between supply and demand is central to the long-term development of ride-hailing marketplaces.
Marti’s latest figures indicate that the company has been able to expand both sides of its marketplace simultaneously. The 85% annual increase in riders and 57% increase in registered drivers demonstrate that growth is occurring across the platform rather than being driven by only one participant group.
Opportunities in Türkiye’s Taxi and Ride-Hailing Market
Marti’s expansion comes as Türkiye’s broader taxi and mobility market presents significant potential.
The company cited research from McKinsey & Company, which estimated the size of Türkiye’s taxi market at approximately $9 billion to $12 billion as of 2021.
According to the cited analysis, the market could experience further expansion as ride-hailing services provide customers with potentially cheaper and more convenient transportation options.
McKinsey’s “Disruptive Scenario 2030” estimates that the potential size of Türkiye’s ride-hailing market could reach $15 billion to $20 billion by 2030.
Such projections point to a substantial long-term opportunity for companies operating in the country’s mobility sector. Increasing smartphone adoption, digital payments, changing consumer expectations, and demand for convenient transportation can all contribute to the development of app-based mobility services.
For Marti, continued expansion of its ride-hailing platform could allow the company to participate in this broader market opportunity.
Focus on Accessibility, Safety and Affordability
Marti’s growth strategy is centered on making ride-hailing more accessible to customers while providing additional earning opportunities for drivers.
For riders, the company positions its service around three key factors: availability, safety, and affordability. Expanding the number of cities in which the service operates can improve accessibility by bringing the platform to more consumers.
For drivers, the increasing size of the marketplace can create additional opportunities to generate income through ride-hailing. The company says these opportunities are intended to serve drivers across the income spectrum.
The formal background-check process is another component of the company’s operating model. By screening drivers before they are accepted onto the platform, Marti seeks to maintain standards that support rider confidence.
The reported average driver rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars further provides an indication of how riders are evaluating the service.
Looking Ahead to the End of 2026
Marti’s achievement of its September rider and driver targets ahead of schedule provides a strong foundation for the next phase of its growth strategy.
The company has already reached its 4.90 million rider target and exceeded its 580,000 registered-driver objective. Its next milestone is considerably higher, with goals of 5.65 million riders and 630,000 registered drivers by the end of December.
Reaching those targets will depend on the company’s ability to continue expanding its user base, attract additional drivers, maintain service quality, and build demand across its growing network of cities.
The geographic expansion achieved during 2026 could play an important role in that effort. With operations now spanning 30 cities and reaching markets representing approximately 85% of Türkiye’s GDP, Marti has significantly expanded the addressable market for its ride-hailing service.
The rising proportion of riders and drivers outside Istanbul also demonstrates that growth is becoming increasingly nationwide.
A Broader Vision for Mobility in Türkiye
Marti’s latest performance reflects the growing role of digital platforms in Türkiye’s transportation ecosystem. The company’s expanding rider and driver communities, combined with its broader geographic footprint, point toward a mobility marketplace that is becoming less concentrated in Istanbul and more representative of the country as a whole.
The increase in riders from 3?35% to 46% outside Istanbul and the corresponding increase in drivers from 26% to 36% illustrate the pace of this transformation. As Marti continues adding cities and participants to its platform, the company is positioning itself to capture demand across a broader range of Turkish markets.
The long-term opportunity could be significant if the ride-hailing sector continues to expand as projected. With McKinsey estimating a potential Turkish ride-hailing market of $15 billion to $20 billion by 2030 under its disruptive scenario, companies capable of establishing strong nationwide networks could be well positioned to benefit from the sector’s development.
For Marti, the immediate focus is on building upon the momentum achieved in the first part of its nationwide expansion. The company’s September 2 results show that it has already reached its initial targets ahead of schedule. Its next objective is to maintain that growth trajectory and reach 5.65 million riders and 630,000 registered drivers by December 31, 2026.
With a rapidly expanding customer base, a growing driver network, operations across 30 cities, and an increasing share of users outside Istanbul, Marti enters the final months of 2026 with its ride-hailing business continuing to expand at a significant pace.
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