(ECNS) -- Many users of car-hailing service Uber said they encountered "ghost cars" during the past Mid-Autumn Festival holidays in cities including Beijing and Shanghai.
The drivers of so-called ghost cars accepted riders' orders, but never showed up. They usually began billing for the trips immediately and ended them within one minute, while riders were charged about 10 yuan ($1.50) even though they received no service.
What's worse, most of the drivers' images showed horrifying faces in the Uber system— photos of distorted, pale and black-tipped faces. Many users said they were scared by the faces and the phone calls that were not answered.
A person in charge at Uber said it was caused by illegal scalping. Riders who had such experiences can send complaints to Uber's customer service department by email or though the client self-service system.
"The fares falsely charged will be returned after scrutiny," he said, adding that Uber will continue fighting such illegal activities.
The cases also exposed the loopholes in the driver review and examination processes used by online car-hailing platforms. Detailed regulations on the market are urgently needed, insiders said.
The drivers of ghost cars aim to receive awards and coupons from Uber, according to a staff member of a car-hailing company. The online platforms cannot check false car license plates or drivers, but their accounts may be blocked once the customer service department receives complaints, he said.
