Taxicabs are part of life in many of the world’s biggest cities, especially now at the height of tourist season. 

When it’s hot out, some prefer taxis to mass transit. But in Turkey’s commercial capital, Istanbul, the usually quick and simple act of hailing a cab has become a frustrating task. 

During rush hour in Kadiköy, an Instanbul neighborhood on the Asian side of the Bosporus, it can be particularly grueling. In Istanbul, passengers and drivers have to agree on a destination before driving off. One afternoon, Emre Gürsoy and his friend needed a ride to Cengelkoy, a city about 25 minutes north. Gürsoy had tried four cabdrivers. None would take the fare. 

Gürsoy quoted a driver saying: “No, I want to go to the European side.”

It’s common for drivers to say they want to go to the European side of the city because it’s a longer ride. And more miles means a bigger fare. 

“I don’t try every day because it’s a hopeless situation. It’s a horrible city to take a cab,” Gürsoy said.

It’s horrible for a lot of people. Last year, the Istanbul municipality received some 80,000 complaints from riders. More than half said a driver chose a longer route or was picky about the customers they choose. A common gripe from locals is that drivers pick up tourists who are more easily ripped off. 

Taxi stand operator Ahmet Özer has been in the business for more than 50 years. He said the main problem is there aren’t enough taxis on the road. Because of that, drivers can be picky. 

“In the old days, we were begging the customers, saying, ‘Come sister, come Mr.’” he said. “Now, the driver doesn’t even get out to take the luggage. If the customer is a woman or has a child, maybe then. So, there is a big problem. No one is interested in solving it.”

Putting more cars on the road seems easy enough. But the number of taxis in Istanbul has only increased by 3,000 since 1965. Meanwhile, the city’s population has swelled by 13 million.

Professor Eser Karakas, a public economics professor at the University of Strasbourg in France, is from Istanbul. He said the number of taxis is set by Turkey’s federal government, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 

“The central government has to sign this law to increase the number of cabs in Istanbul, but they don’t,” Karakas said. 

What’s more, he said, that may be because the city’s political leadership is controlled by the opposition party. It could all come to a head during mayoral elections in March. 

“If the candidate of Erdogan wins the election in Istanbul, I think they will sign this demand of increase of cabs in Istanbul, and the problem will be solved. It is political,” he said.