# ghost cars



## xtree78 (Nov 6, 2014)

I just opened the app and it shows there are 7 cars in downtown ft worth/w 7th St area. I have been working that area for 6 months and there is no way there are 7 cars there are not even 2 on a regular lunch time. Total BS don't fall for Uber lies and ghost cars. Uber show me the proof I will admit I am wrong but I know i am not.


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## bunnydoodoo (Jan 6, 2015)

sometimes I'm sitting on the side of the street waiting and I open the Uber app also and i shows like 3 ghost cars passing me and i know because I'm the only car on the street, for like 5 minutes prior and after.


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## anOzzieUber (Oct 31, 2014)

Are the authorities cracking down on Uber in your area? We were getting HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS of ghost cars, which coincided with the local transport department fining drivers, I can only presume it was a method to partly throw the authorities off the track of where cars were stationed.


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## bunnydoodoo (Jan 6, 2015)

I don't think so. I was pulled over for tinted windows last week (yeh, we can't have them here... stupid i know), but when i told her i was working.... "huh?", "i'm an uber driver", "oh, that wasn't what i was expecting", she said nevermind, run along, just take the tint off. I was shocked! And when i stopped on a curb to let someone out, a cop pulled up alongside and blinded me with a flash light and when i rolled it down he said i can't stop there and i said i was just letting someone out and he said ok drive safe. So, they seem to be super cool with us here. I know accidents have dramatically decreased so maybe thats why. Oh, and rolling thru the nonstop side of a check point is a bonus too.


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## bunnydoodoo (Jan 6, 2015)

I think uber puts them there to make riders think we are super close and convenient. Why not, they are sketchy with everything else....


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## anOzzieUber (Oct 31, 2014)

bunnydoodoo said:


> I think uber puts them there to make riders think we are super close and convenient. Why not, they are sketchy with everything else....


That was my other theory, and it was pissing me off because I was getting pings from over 20 minutes away, no doubt due to riders seeing a car a block away from them right out in the suburbs.


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## UberDriver2014 (Oct 31, 2014)

This came up in our weekly virtual Uber webinar. They claim this is a new technical issue and are looking into it. Yeah, just like the ETA's doubling after accepting it. Funny how all these 'technical issues' work in Uber's favor and against drivers.


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## anOzzieUber (Oct 31, 2014)

And my third theory on the ghost cars, and this is good if you like conspiracy theories: Uber doesn't want other Uber drivers to know exactly where other cars are, lest they meet up and arrange a mass strike  Far fetched maybe, but I wouldn't put it past Uber.

For the most part though, Australian drivers currently would be fairly happy with the system and the pay rates, we aren't nearly getting screwed over like some of the cities in the USA, so this theory doesn't explain why it was happening here.



UberDriver2014 said:


> This came up in our weekly virtual Uber webinar. They claim this is a new technical issue and are looking into it. Yeah, just like the ETA's doubling after accepting it. Funny how all these 'technical issues' work in Uber's favor and against drivers.


I wish we had webinars with Uber. Though my experience not only with the CSRs, but also those above them is that they will not tell you anything that they haven't been authorised to tell you from those in higher positions. It's like when they talk to the media, give them a question they aren't comfortable with and they go off on some unrelated tangent about the incumbent taxi's and avoid whatever you ask them.


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## xtree78 (Nov 6, 2014)

The eta doubling thing I sent an email with pictures and a thorough explanation the very first time I saw it explaining how that is bait and switch on the drivers and it is something that could be sued over in the future since the customer has the right to cancel a ride if the eta changes and the customer is not charged a cancelation fee if the eta changes. People who are looking for a reason to sue should be looking into this as I know I have not been compensated for my time and expenses because of this.


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## newsboy559 (Oct 14, 2014)

xtree78 said:


> I just opened the app and it shows there are 7 cars in downtown ft worth/w 7th St area. I have been working that area for 6 months and there is no way there are 7 cars there are not even 2 on a regular lunch time. Total BS don't fall for Uber lies and ghost cars. Uber show me the proof I will admit I am wrong but I know i am not.


I have noticed some really interesting things here in my city, too. We're a pretty small Uber market. At times, during the bar rush at closing time, I'll play the surge game by shutting off the app and waiting for surge to hit 2.0 or better. It's pretty easy to track what's happening because there will be ZERO cars available.

But here's the deal. When I turn off my app, as soon as my little car icon disappears, another one close by automatically pops up immediately. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence. But then it happened again... and again and again. As soon as I turn off my app and disappear, another car icon shows up close by. As soon as I turn the app back on and go available, the mystery car disappears at the same time my car appears. It's really sketchy. I've noticed this happening for the last three weekends.


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## xtree78 (Nov 6, 2014)

I can 100% promise you there are not 3 cars sitting there. That part of town at this time of night unless there is a rave going on would have zero cars much less 3. I call BS on uber stop the fake shit!


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## bunnydoodoo (Jan 6, 2015)

I sat on a dark street 2 nights ago waiting, and according to the app, 2 other uber drivers were coming around the corner towards me in both directions, passing each other. Not a single car passed me for over 5-6 minutes.


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## Chicago Duck (Dec 20, 2014)

i believe there are ghost cars i do the same thing i will park my car in a vacant lot with view of 2 cross streets and open both passenger and drivers apps and it shows an average of 5 (ghost) cars around me they be going around in circles and backing up and going forward it looks like bugs freaking out


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## Raquel (Jan 9, 2015)

bunnydoodoo said:


> sometimes I'm sitting on the side of the street waiting and I open the Uber app also and i shows like 3 ghost cars passing me and i know because I'm the only car on the street, for like 5 minutes prior and after.


I've noticed this at sac airport tok. Wonder if it's to throw off cops/airport officials..


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## xtree78 (Nov 6, 2014)

No it is so the pax don't see that there are no cars there anymore because of the bottom feeder rates. If a pax sees they can't get. A car within a few minutes when they open the app the will just drive themselves.


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## Uzcaliber (Aug 22, 2014)

My theory of possibilities why they do that:
1. Ghost drivers are used to lure riders into thinking there are cars a few minutes away. When they request it, it goes to a real driver which could be further away, in some cases way way far away.
2. Rider's app allows them to wait and notify riders when the Surge is over. To prevent Surge, or when Uber system sees multiple cars are approaching the Surge area the ghost riders are generated to kill the Surge. When many real drivers are a few miles approaching the Surge area, they remove the ghost drivers. It doesn't mean no one gets the Surge but it cuts down on the Surge rides. Once I was sitting in the middle of the Surge in downtown Minneapolis, small Surge area, 10 minutes without a request, go figure.
3. Uber has technical issues, software glitches.
4. Their system has been hacked.


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## mUberIE (Nov 30, 2014)

newsboy559 said:


> I have noticed some really interesting things here in my city, too. We're a pretty small Uber market. At times, during the bar rush at closing time, I'll play the surge game by shutting off the app and waiting for surge to hit 2.0 or better. It's pretty easy to track what's happening because there will be ZERO cars available.
> 
> But here's the deal. When I turn off my app, as soon as my little car icon disappears, another one close by automatically pops up immediately. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence. But then it happened again... and again and again. As soon as I turn off my app and disappear, another car icon shows up close by. As soon as I turn the app back on and go available, the mystery car disappears at the same time my car appears. It's really sketchy. I've noticed this happening for the last three weekends.


Same here. As soon as I log off another car pops up a couple blocks from me after not being there for as long I was on.


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## s00perdave (Jun 2, 2016)

Uzcaliber said:


> My theory of possibilities why they do that:
> 1. Ghost drivers are used to lure riders into thinking there are cars a few minutes away. When they request it, it goes to a real driver which could be further away, in some cases way way far away.
> 2. Rider's app allows them to wait and notify riders when the Surge is over. To prevent Surge, or when Uber system sees multiple cars are approaching the Surge area the ghost riders are generated to kill the Surge. When many real drivers are a few miles approaching the Surge area, they remove the ghost drivers. It doesn't mean no one gets the Surge but it cuts down on the Surge rides. Once I was sitting in the middle of the Surge in downtown Minneapolis, small Surge area, 10 minutes without a request, go figure.
> 3. Uber has technical issues, software glitches.
> 4. Their system has been hacked.


in reference to surge no.3 keep in mind Uber makes more $ as well. In my area Northern CO on Sat night they guarantee min 2x fare from 12 to 3 am


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