The Perils of Using Uber Where It’s Technically Illegal
Ariana Arghandewal November 28, 2018
Istanbul is my favorite city in the world, so when I got to return this past August for my cousin’s wedding, I was thrilled. After an incredible flight on Austrian + Turkish Airlines business class, I was looking forward to a seamlessly planned-out vacation. What I didn’t account for was the headaches I would deal with when ordering an Uber.
Whether it was the drivers themselves or the Taxi Mafia, it seemed that, as an Uber rider, I had a target on my back the minute I stepped outside of the airport.
It all started when I ordered an Uber at the airport. Cabs are actually cheaper in Istanbul than Uber, but since there were five of us and we had a lot of luggage, I figured the larger vehicles offered by Uber would be more convenient.
I will say, I did read in advance that Uber wasn’t legal in Istanbul, but that the police more or less turn a blind eye to it.
As we waited for our ride in the heat, a man approached us and asked if we needed a taxi. I let him know we had a ride and he told us Uber was illegal in Istanbul and he would call the police if the driver showed up.
We ignored him and he was soon joined by a guy who claimed to be working for the airport and warned us of the same thing. “Your driver will go to jail and you will get a fine.” I asked him for identification and he refused to produce it, so I told him to kindly f— off because I was not in the mood to get messed with already.
They badgered us a little more, I exploded and told them off for harassing two women traveling with kids, and they eventually stepped away. But then a police car showed up and we got worried. We didn’t want the Uber driver to get into trouble, so we cancelled the ride and got our own taxi. Far away from the two men.
Were they in the right? I guess so, considering Uber isn’t legal in Istanbul. But to call the police on someone who is trying to make a living, while harassing tourists who need better transportation options makes you a crappy person. Period.
Also, claiming to work for the airport and trying to intimidate tourists when you’re clearly part of the taxi mafia makes you a total jerk.
That’s not the scam in this story – just something you should be aware of when you’re hailing an Uber ride in Istanbul. During my nearly 10 days in Istanbul, I had several instances where I ordered an Uber, waited for it to show up, then got a notification that I had been picked up and the driver was dropping me off at my location. Meanwhile, I’m standing around miles from my hotel, with no idea who took my ride. I Googled this situation multiple times and have no idea if it’s a common scam or a simple mistake that kept happening because of a language barrier.
Any time I order an Uber, I text the driver to let him/her know where exactly I’ll be (i.e. “I’m in front of the Intercontinental Hotel entrance”) and what I’m wearing. I didn’t do that in Istanbul because most of the drivers didn’t speak English and I didn’t want to confuse them. I also noticed that none of them ever asked for my name when I got into the car. So my guess is they just randomly picked people up on the route, assuming it was the person who requested a ride. But if that’s the case, how come these people were picked up a good mile and a half away from where I was standing?
Uber customer service wasn’t helpful in resolving this issue at all, so I let it go. Every time it happened, I did cancel the ride while it was supposedly headed to the destination because it was seemingly the only way to avoid paying the full fare for a ride I didn’t actually take. Anyway, if you’ve taken Uber in Istanbul and had a similar experience, I’d love to read about it in the comment section.
I had a run-in late June 2018 at IST airport. Similar story to the authors. Two thugs approached us trying to steer us into a Taxi as we exited the terminal. When we asked them to leave us alone they proceeded to threaten us about how Uber is illegal and that we would pay big fines and could be arrested. They insinuated that we had an Uber coming through us refusing their taxi help I guess? The usual yelling and threatening occurred on their side and only when we informed them we will get the police did they leave. Curiously there was a policeman observing the whole thing (carrying a sub machine gun no less). They were threading a fine line getting in our face with threats from the looks of things. When the Uber driver showed up the initial 2 "thugs" proceeded to assault him and vandalize the vehicle. Kicking in panels, ripping off a side mirror, etc. They took the van keys, etc. This is why I call them "thugs". I guess assaulting tourists would have gotten them arrested...uber driver, guess not. We were inside the van but I guess the policeman finally interfered and the guy got his keys back. ...I get that driving a Taxi is someones livelyhood but reality check, the Taxi industry is transforming and regardless of how much you resist, you will run over. If Taxi's had a good reputation in Turkey a more expensive Uber service would have NEVER gotten any traction. I have plenty of stories from Turkey, from drivers trying to take the scenic route, to informing me my hotel has "burned down" but they have a hotel with a good deal, to a Taxi driver outright kidnapping me to go to a rug merchant in the middle of nowhere (and I have to play nice since we will miss our cruise ship departure if he abandons us). Yeaaaaa, and you wonder why foreigners flock to alternative services. As someone pointed out, the Bitaksi app came about because of Uber. To the Turkish taxi Mafia posting here. The Taxi industry is going through a transformation around the world, you can either go along for the ride or get left behind.
@pointchaser Uber wasn’t allowed at most US airports until recently. Didn’t stop people from requesting rides. 1 - You weren't in the US. 2 - If there's issues with a service that's not legally operating, if you get trouble, US or not, it's tough luck on you for choosing it. Even more so choosing it knowingly. And nice attitude re rules. Are you above them?
1) The author did not knowingly break any law, 2) These people were bothering her for no good reason. I can say with lots of experience that the people that bothered her had no right to do so, and their claims were lies. 3) If the guys produced no identification, they were not employed in what the said they were. Fairly simple. Perhaps the English nuance here is beyond you, there is no formal taxi organization named the "taxi mafia" in Istanbul, but the business is a huge cesspool of black money, bribery and criminality. How else can you explain a place where taxi licenses (Plakas) sell for more than most other cities in the World, yet fares are so low? and the drivers and condition of the vehicles so bad? Grog, please point out to me and others where in Turkish law Uber is actually illegal currently? How about a headline where is simply says technically LEGAL, despite a witch hunt?
"To call the police on someone who is trying to make a living, while harassing tourists who need better transportation options makes you a crappy person. Period." Nah--1) knowingly breaking the law, 2) shouting obscenities in a foreign country (especially with kids in tow?), 3) accusing the man of lying about his employment and then writing about it with no proof to support the assertion...they all make for something. And nice try, but there was no "mafia" here...no, wait...I guess Uber and its customers who conspire to operate illegally would actually be the mafia in this scenario. While Uber customer service may not have been helpful in resolving this issue, the two gentlemen sure were--good on them. In closing, how about a proper headline? The word "Technically" should never have appeared there.
I don't think this has anything to do with Uber. Turkey is a nation of relentless salesmen. Walk down any small street, and you have to walk fast and carefully stay to the center because people hawking goods will be diving on you from every side. Everyone you meet is selling something.