# How accurate is the passenger app for viewing location of cars?



## Muki (Oct 15, 2015)

I'd saw an article earlier this year about Uber using "phantom cars" on their passenger app to give people the impression that there are more cars out than there really are. But then Uber said admitted that the locations aren't accurate but that it does accurately show how many cars are around you...somewhat. 

What do you guys think about the accuracy of this? I'm brand new and I was going to go out to drive tonight but Uber X cars everywhere I dropped the marker were practically bumping into each other. I decided to just stay home and work on some freelance design work instead. Seems like this entire week has been totally saturated with drivers. Wasn't nearly as congested last week.


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## UberNorthStar (Jul 7, 2015)

Are you going by what the app shows you? I believe there are cars showing on the app that do not exist. 

Get out & work. Many drivers are striking this weekend. Some good surges have shown up here in Houston. About 1:30 am to 2:30 am the should be pings from those leaving the bars.


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## Old Rocker (Aug 20, 2015)

Muki said:


> I'd saw an article earlier this year about Uber using "phantom cars" on their passenger app to give people the impression that there are more cars out than there really are. But then Uber said admitted that the locations aren't accurate but that it does accurately show how many cars are around you...somewhat.
> 
> What do you guys think about the accuracy of this? I'm brand new and I was going to go out to drive tonight but Uber X cars everywhere I dropped the marker were practically bumping into each other. I decided to just stay home and work on some freelance design work instead. Seems like this entire week has been totally saturated with drivers. Wasn't nearly as congested last week.


You'll get different opinions from different people, but my opinion is that most of the cars are bogus. I tried to catch one once with the rider app on and every time the car would disappear when I got close. Other times the rider app has shown several cars cruising around the residential streets of my neighborhood late at night, and that's really hard to believe, considering my neighborhood. Once, the rider app showed a Black Car in the lake close to me for several hours.


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## JohnF (Mar 20, 2015)

Go to a location where there are not many Ubers floating around. example Katy, TX. 
Turn off your driver app. 
Turn on your pax app. your wait time will be 10 mins. 
Tet there are 3 cars within 1000 ft of your location. 
'Nuff said.


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## EcoSLC (Sep 24, 2015)

Cars will disappear if they have accepted a ride request, or they go offline. I did see myself as a ghost car once. After dropping signal way uphill at the local university, I was unable to log into Uber Partner for 3 hours (at which point I gave up and went to sleep). My car was still showing up where I'd lost signal the entire time. Maybe your mysterious car in the lake was someone with a similar problem? I hope someone didn't go sleeping with the fishes.


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## Old Rocker (Aug 20, 2015)

JohnF said:


> Go to a location where there are not many Ubers floating around. example Katy, TX.
> Turn off your driver app.
> Turn on your pax app. your wait time will be 10 mins.
> Tet there are 3 cars within 1000 ft of your location.
> 'Nuff said.


Yep. I'm in Pearland. Close to the city limits by the RR tracks and industrial parks. There's no way there are six UberX cars and two Black cars cruising the back streets at 2am.


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