Turkey’s Uber drivers fear for their lives as attacks by cab drivers increase
Istanbul — An Uber driver keeps a metal rod close at hand during his daily drives through Istanbul. Alarmed by violent attacks in recent weeks allegedly carried out by angry yellow cab drivers who want Turkey to ban the ride-hailing company, Levent says he’s even considering carrying a gun and asked that his last name be withheld for safety reasons. "I work with the fear of getting physically assaulted by cab drivers every day," he said inside the van he drives, a Mercedes Benz Vito, popular among Istanbul’s Uber ilk. He is among the more than 5,000 Uber drivers in the city of 15-million waiting to learn their fate as an Istanbul court considers two legal cases, filed by taxi associations, arguing the app-based service undermines competition and breaks the law. Yet while Uber is fighting for survival in cities like London, which revoked its licence in 2017, discontent has rarely taken as aggressive a turn as it has in Turkey’s largest city. On March 10, shots were fired at an Uber v...
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