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Comment by mikeodds | Hacker News Reader

Had 3 Ubers in a row spoofing gps location trying to pickup a ride at Istanbul departures, but then sending increasingly cryptic, once you are here walk 500m here directions one by one.

1 even started the trip without me in the car and said it was an accident.

Uber support didn’t care about that or the GPS spoofing.

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Uber engineering does, there is extensive work that goes into the app to ensure drivers aren't GPS spoofing or that an actual ride is occurring. I.E. Check the accelerometer or gyro. That said theres a natural tension between making the app accessible to drivers and locking it down to protect riders. I.E. Disabling the app if your phone is rooted/jailbroken. But again you are limited to privacy, the api's for the devices you have to support and managing how accessible the app is.

It wasn’t Uber but taxis. When I visited Istanbul a while ago, the taxi drivers were creative in how they scammed people. Some purposely took a longer route to the destination to charge more, while others altered the meter so it showed almost double the fare. I discovered this because the same trip cost half using another taxi. Others asked for an upfront price and ignored the meter.

I lived in Turkey for over 3 years. It is really sad how taxis were by far the worst part. When Uber came to Ankara, it was a massive improvement in my quality of life.

In Istanbul, there are a few things to watch out for but Uber is still a million times better than calling a random taxi. Part of it is because taxis in Istanbul are surprisingly cheap and it encourages bad behavior. During peak times in the most busy places, Uber drivers may cancel on you if the ride is short. Whatever happens, Uber support in Turkey has been very responsive to me. So I have to give them credit for that.

I was in Istanbul for less than a week and had multiple bizarre taxi experiences.

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