Does Uber Work In Istanbul? + Introducing All Internet Taxis
Is Uber Safe In Istanbul?
For tourists like me who travel to Turkey from a country like America and cannot bring their car to Turkey, complete information about public transportation in Istanbul is very important.
Fortunately, due to the large number of tourists in Istanbul, all public transportation methods, such as metro, taxi, bus, and tram, are available in this city. However, there are some places in Istanbul where public transportation rarely passes. In this situation, the best option is to use internet taxis like Uber.
But does Uber work in Istanbul? Yes, Uber works in Istanbul.
Uber’s operation in Istanbul is very strange and full of challenges, so I suggest you read this article to learn about the conditions for Uber’s use in this city.
Uber in Istanbul
Table of Contents
According to my research and conversations with Uber drivers, Uber started operating in Turkey for the first time in 2014 and received a strong reception. However, this reception was not good at all for taxi drivers and the Turkish public transportation system, and they believed that their income had decreased.
Taxi drivers could not tolerate this, and in 2019, they officially complained to Uber, which the Turkish government accepted. In 2021, Uber was again allowed to work in Istanbul, but with special conditions and rules set by the government.
Terms of Türkiye’s cooperation with Uber
Uber was given permission to operate in Istanbul, but on the condition that its drivers must be the same drivers of yellow taxis. With this, the taxi drivers were satisfied and the Uber company.
However, after a year, Uber added some car models to increase the quality of its cars so that people with more financial ability could use better services.
Types of Uber cars
Yellow Dolmuş: Dolmuş is a yellow taxi that can seat 8 people and is suitable for families.
Turquoise taxi: To be honest, I have not been able to use these taxis until now because their number is very few, but they are among the average taxis; that is, their quality is higher than yellow taxis and lower than black taxis. These taxis are 15% more expensive than yellow taxis.
Black taxis: The most luxurious Uber cars in Istanbul are black and have better accessibility than turquoise taxis. They can also accommodate 8 people and are 70% more expensive than other taxis.
Advantages of using Uber in Istanbul
Based on my experience in Istanbul, I am fully familiar with its transportation system. That’s why it is better to hear the advantages and disadvantages of Uber in my own words.
Advantages:
- Full certainty of the final price of the trip: Unfortunately, some taxi drivers in Istanbul, when they find out that you are a tourist, make the route longer to charge you more money. This does not happen in Uber, and you will see the final cost of the trip at the very beginning.
- Access everywhere in Istanbul: Some tourist places in Istanbul are located around the city and far away from public transportation, so Uber is the best choice.
- Diversity in choice: You can choose the desired car according to your budget.
- More payment options: You can pay for Uber in cash or online.
Disadvantages:
- Expensiveness: Turkey’s public transportation system is much cheaper than Uber. Therefore, if you are traveling within the city and are not in a hurry, use the bus and metro.
- Bad behavior of some drivers: Since some drivers still think that Uber has reduced their income, they treat customers badly for not using Uber anymore.
Is Uber safe in Istanbul?
In all my trips with Uber, I did not face any particular problem, and no danger threatened me. But sometimes, the drivers tried to charge me more money under various excuses such as traffic or wrong cost calculation by Uber, which I did not accept their word for and paid the money that the application suggested.
Note: Always try to pay after reaching the end of the route. You may have a problem with the driver in the middle of the road, and if you have paid the money, he may threaten to drop you off.
Alternative to Uber in Istanbul
Apart from Uber, other local internet taxis operate under ITaksi and Bitaksi, which you can also use.
However, if Uber is not available in Istanbul, I suggest you use the Indrive app because this app allows you to determine the cost of the trip yourself.
All Things Considered
Uber operates fully in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and Antalya, which are tourist cities in Türkiye. Due to low demand, Uber’s activity is less in other cities.
If you plan to use Uber to go to Istanbul’s sights, I suggest you read the following articles to get to know the city’s sights better:
