Uber drivers cry foul over ‘phantom cabs’

UBER claims this feature is sometimes unavoidable, but others are crying foul, saying the ride-sharing app is intentionally misleading users.

HAVE you ever. Ever felt like this. When strange things happen, when you’re waiting, for a lift.

Uber has been accused of intentionally misleading its users by displaying so-called ‘phantom cabs’ on the ride-booking service’s map.

An investigation by Motherboard claims one Uber driver, ‘Heather’, first noticed something strange when she opened up the passenger app and saw four drivers in streets immediately around her house, yet the estimated wait time was 17 minutes.

Uber drivers often use both the passenger and driver version of the app to see competitor driver locations. While the fake taxis wouldn’t be obvious in a busy area, when used in suburban areas users were clearly seeing drivers where there were none.

The speculation is that the ‘phantom cabs’ are intentional on Uber’s part. “If a potential passenger opened up the app and saw no cars around, she might take another cab service,” writes Motherboard’s Alex Rosenblat. “But if she saw a cluster of cars seemingly milling around on the same street, she’s more likely to request a ride.”

When asked for an explanation, Uber help staff gave conflicting explanations. One told ‘Heather’ that the rider map was just a “screen saver”.

‘Heather’ said Uber was showing other drivers near her when they clearly weren’t. (Image: Motherboard)

“The app is simply showing there are partners on the road at the time,” the staffer wrote in an email. “This is not a representation of the exact numbers of drivers or their location. This is more of a visual effect letting people know that partners are searching for fares.

“I know this seems a misleading to you but it is meant as more of a visual effect more than an accurate location of drivers in the area. It would be better of you to think of this as a screen saver on a computer. Once a rider request a trip there will be actual information about the partners [sic] location showing up in the app.”

Another Uber staff member gave a different reason when asked by Motherboard, saying it was a discrepancy as a function of zooming in and out. “The map is as accurate as possible in the close vicinity of your location,” the representative wrote.

In a statement, an Uber Australia spokeswoman told news.com.au: “Our goal is for the number of cars and their location to be as accurate as possible in real time. Latency is one reason this is not always possible.

“Another reason is that the app only shows the nearest eight cars to avoid cluttering the screen. Also, to protect the safety of drivers, in some volatile situations, the app doesn’t show the specific location of individual cars until the ride is requested.”

It comes as an internal discussion paper by the Economic Policy Group found Brisbane’s tightly controlled taxi market was leaving Queenslander’s $40 million worse off each year.

The report argued limiting the number of taxis on the road resulted in higher fares and poor service. “Despite operating outside of the regulatory framework, Uber has increased competition in the Queensland taxi market, providing customers with the ability to choose an alternative to regular taxis,” the report said.

Originally published as Uber drivers cry foul over ‘phantom cabs’