Is Uber available in Istanbul in 2021?

Although Uber has been a company operating in Turkey since 2014, it stopped its operations in 2019 with a blockage due to legal issues. They officially stopped operating on May 31, 2019, with the lawsuit filed against the taxi drivers in Istanbul because they were uncomfortable with the use of Uber. Until it stopped its operations, it reached more than 8000 active drivers, although there were more than 2 thousand taxis in Turkey. There was also a network of 4 million users.
As a result of the lawsuit filed against the company, the access ban was lifted again on 24 December 2020. Thus, Uber activities started again in Istanbul. With the lifting of this access ban, Uber met with Istanbul people again. Currently, it continues to offer taxi services very actively.

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Is Uber Available in Istanbul?

Uber, which has been blocked for a long time, no longer has an access barrier and continues its activities in Istanbul. With the decision of the court of appeal, they started operations only with yellow taxis in Turkey. In addition, Uber activities are not only limited to Istanbul; but Uber also offers services in Ankara and finally Izmir. It is estimated that Uber, which has gradually reached other cities as the access barrier is lifted, will spread to more areas in the future.

Uber Istanbul Covid-19 Campaign

With the re-launch of Uber, it offers a special campaign to its users. Within the scope of the campaign, users are provided with free trips to all public and private hospitals that make Covid-19 vaccines. For Uber use in Istanbul, there are 2 free round trips up to 1.099 € / 1.161 $ / 40 TL with the UBERASI code. You can use the free ride code given by Uber for both yourself and a loved one who will be vaccinated.

How Does Uber Work in Istanbul?

With Uber starting to work again in Istanbul, many users started to use Uber rather than regular taxis. Uber, which works in regular yellow taxis, continues to serve with its mobile phone application.
Those who will use Uber for the first time in Istanbul must first download the mobile application to their smartphones. After that, the necessary membership steps are completed. To call Uber, the application is opened from any point in the city and the destination is entered. Thus, the Uber taxi arrives at the current location. Users can follow through the application until the taxi arrives. In addition, it can be seen in how many minutes the taxi will arrive at your relevant location. Details such as all models and license plates of the upcoming vehicle are included in the application. Various promotional codes can be entered in the promotions section under the "Wallet" tab for Uber use in Istanbul. Thus, you can travel for free.

What are the Advantages of Uber in Istanbul?

People who use Uber in Istanbul travel in a very advantageous way, unlike regular taxis. One of these advantages is calling a taxi with the mobile application. With the creation of a request in just a few seconds, the nearest taxi comes to the relevant location instantly. This puts an end to the trouble of looking for a taxi. In addition, a clean and comfortable journey takes place with the professional taxi service provided by Uber. It is seen that Uber is extremely advantageous in terms of hygiene, especially in these days when the corona virus is effective.
People who use Uber in Istanbul have the opportunity to pay directly with a credit card as another advantage. In the taxi called via the mobile application, payments are made instantly by credit card without any payment problems. In addition, the fact that passengers can learn their transportation costs at the beginning of the journey greatly affects the preference of Uber. Passengers do not encounter surprise payments, along with the transportation fees calculated before boarding the vehicle. Thanks to all these advantages, trust and satisfaction with Uber is increasing day by day. Especially people living in Istanbul can call Uber through the mobile application whenever they want. Thus, they reach their destination in a very short time at affordable prices without being late.

What are the Differences of Uber in Istanbul from regular Uber?

There are several differences for Uber in Istanbul regarding their use abroad. Uber activities, which are not yet fully established in Turkey, have some risks due to these problems. There is a risk of being defrauded at first, as they differ from overseas uses. In general, some drivers may demand cash fees. People who have not called and used Uber before, on the other hand, pay both the cash fee and the transportation fee through the application. This situation, which is not encountered in every taxi driver, can occur from time to time in Istanbul. Therefore, it is necessary to be a little more cautious when using Uber in Istanbul. Unfortunately, it is necessary to be very careful when using a taxi in Istanbul because there are too many fraud cases. Check our Is it safe to take taxi in Turkey article for more information. For this purpose, we created Istanbul Taxi Fare Calculator in order you to check the taxi price before you take a taxi.
There are also problems of not being able to find a taxi for the time being. Actually, it is a problem of taxi system of Istanbul, but affects Uber since Uber operates only with yellow taxis in Istanbul. In addition, there may be situations such as the late arrival of Uber in Istanbul traffic. Abroad, such cases are almost non-existent. Within the scope of Uber usage in Istanbul, short distance problems may also be encountered. Drivers do not want to offer taxi services for short distances. Therefore, there may be arguments between customers and drivers from time to time.

What are the Uber Alternatives in Istanbul?

Apart from Uber, there are many alternative taxi applications in Istanbul. But you should note that all these applications use yellow taxis too. Thanks to these applications, customers can benefit from transportation services such as Uber. In the same way, mobile taxi services performed through the mobile application provide advantages in many respects. As an alternative to Uber, there are many taxi applications such as BiTaksi, ITaksi and Careem Taxi.

BiTaksi

BiTaksi, which has a system that can rival Uber, works through a mobile application just like Uber. It currently operates with more than 1 million users. Yellow or turquoise taxis can be called from within the application. Users who call a taxi can see the relevant driver information. In addition, the points obtained by the driver on previous trips can also be evaluated.

ITaksi

ITaksi, which can be used in Istanbul other than Uber, serves as an application released by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. The approximate distance and cost for the location to be visited can be seen within the application. However, these fees may change during the journey. Passengers have the option of calling a classic yellow taxi, a slightly more comfortable turquoise taxi and a black taxi called VIP transportation. In addition, there is an advanced ITaksi complaint hotline.

Careem Taxi

Another taxi application that can be used as an alternative to Uber in Istanbul is the Careem taxi. The application currently has more than 10 million downloads. It draws the attention of users especially that it serves with modern Careem tools. Users can also make advance reservations from within the application. Just like Uber, it has the opportunity to see estimated fares, view driver information and pay by credit card. The location of the called driver can be seen instantly. However, as a problem of the application, there may be problems such as the drivers not wanting to come when they see the place to go.

How to Become a Driver in Uber Istanbul?

People who want to become an Uber driver in Istanbul must first register with Uber on the website. The necessary membership steps are taken on the Uber Turkey page. Afterwards, it is requested to meet the required vehicle requirements to become an Uber driver. In this context, for a taxi, it must be a commercial taxi vehicle in good condition and a 2014 or newer model. Apart from the vehicle requirements, various additional documents are also required for the taxi. As these documents, the driver's license, the document that replaces the criminal record, SRC and Psychotechnics are in the first place. In addition to these, professional driver card and vehicle license are also uploaded to the system in driver applications.
People who complete their Uber driver application need to wait for the returns from Uber. Currently, driver applications for Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir can be made for any of the 3 cities. Those whose applications are accepted start to provide taxi services with the relevant notifications.