In a case of road rage from the pedestrian's side, an Uber driver was a casualty of the Uber taxi wars in the city. It was late evening on March 10th in the Küçükçekmece district of Istanbul. An Uber driver was driving towards a pick-up when a man stepped out in front of the Uber vehicle in the Halkali district and slammed his fists on the hood, he then produced a gun and fired shots at the Uber driver. The driver was fast enough to escape the scene. Four bullets were shot at the unfortunate man, and police stated that no one was injured.
This is just another day in Istanbul, where taxi drivers are not taking the Uber invasion quietly. Uber's office in Turkey made an official statement to the press and said "Our priority is to stand alongside our Uber driver partners in these difficult times, providing them with the necessary legal help and support,"
As I mentioned, this is not the first incident, and most probably won't be the last. Just a few days ago on March 7th, an Uber driver was beaten up by a gang of Taxi drivers. The taxi drivers presented to be a customer and make a request, in this incident the unsuspecting Uber driver drove to a quiet area and was set upon by the gang.
Taxi drivers in Istanbul are starting to feel what Taxi drivers all around the world have felt since the invasion of rideshare driving hit their cities. The only difference in Istanbul is that the average Turk is not a quiet or passive bystander, they are active, loud and dangerous. We expect more such attacks to escalate in the future.