# Some Uber Drivers Gaming System To Pick Up More Airport Fares



## UberComic (Apr 17, 2014)

*Some Uber Drivers Gaming System To Pick Up More Airport Fares*

*https://news.yahoo.com/video/uber-drivers-gaming-system-pick-002600004.html*


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## UberComic (Apr 17, 2014)

I posted a few months back wondering if this was possible on a locked down Uber phone. I still don't feel its worth the risk of being deactivated if they find out.


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## grams777 (Jun 13, 2014)

Could work. Just jailbreak the phone (free and takes about 10 minutes) and install a GPS spoofer app. The downside is, Uber could code their phone/app to check if its rooted. Netflix for example and some other apps already do this. They already seem to be able to detect things like giving yourself a ride very easily and call you in for it the first time. Also system updates tend not to work again unless you completely restore the phone. Then suppose your phone has a problem and you need a replace it. So, overall it's a bit risky.

IMO, there should be some type of system that is not so strictly location based. For example, say anyone within two minutes of a pickup might be considered equal, but other factors would determine who is next among them. Someone waiting two hours should probably have priority over someone who just got there but is 100 feet closer. This would also solve the problem of people having to try to park their cars as close as possible to busy hotspots to gain a few feet advantage. Instead they could park a little bit farther away in a safer location. It might also encourage people to spread out a little more if they know they will just have to wait in line after 10 other cars already waiting outside a club. Otherwise, they all might circle and try to get a slightly closer spot or get out on foot and walk it or whatever.

Also, maybe don't hire so many drivers? When I see way too many idle drivers sitting at the airport, it's telling me there's a good chance there's just too many drivers overall. If I stay busy in town, I'm not in a real hurry to go sit at the airport for an hour or two.


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## Sydney Uber (Apr 15, 2014)

The parking Nazis here haven't started knocking us off for lingering next to the terminal as yet. When dropping upstairs I've been lucky a number of times with Uber jobs back to back on one of mine. The record so far has been a $237 in an hour gross with 2 jobs.


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## TomNashville (Jul 20, 2014)

Given that there's a Yahoo! article on it, I'm guessing that Uber is hard at work creating a patch.


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## grams777 (Jun 13, 2014)

TomNashville said:


> Given that there's a Yahoo! article on it, I'm guessing that Uber is hard at work creating a patch.


Uber responds:

http://sfist.com/2014/07/30/uber_still_illegally_working_sfo_al.php

Uber is disabling the illegal app and passengers affected by it will receive a refund.
...
As hard as it is to admit, I am one of those people who hacked the phone to gain fares. Hacking the phone started about 8 months ago when Uber stopped letting drivers stay inside the airport by blocking out the area.
...
Even though Uber sent email to all its drivers reminding them to stay at the cell phone parking lot, it was faster to get a fare if you circled in front of the airport ,so everybody did. It was illegal and dangerous, but it was the only way for anyone to get a fare (actually friend of mine got arrested for driving around there with Uber phone and was fined with $2000 ticket).
....
BTW, how they hacked their phone was [to] jailreak [it] and install Uber along with location spoofing software. In the end, if it wasn't for those people at SFO who insisted Uber to block their drivers from going inside the airport, nothing would have happened.​


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## Uberpimp (Jun 9, 2014)

grams777 said:


> Uber responds:
> 
> Uber is disabling the illegal app and passengers affected by it will receive a refund.
> ...
> ...


Is there any benefit to jailbreaking the uber phone?


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## grams777 (Jun 13, 2014)

Uberpimp said:


> Is there any benefit to jailbreaking the uber phone?


I wouldn't ever do that. It's easy to detect a jailbroken phone and could land you in trouble. The benefits would be minimal. Now, on a personal phone that's a different story.


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