Standing in Istanbul’s main Taksim Square, Abubakir raises his hand and a yellow taxi appears instantly. Happy to close a lucrative deal, the driver helps the family with their bags as Abubakir, his wife and their two kids take their seats for the ride. Meanwhile, a Turkish woman who has long been waiting for a taxi across the street stares and sighs furiously.

Taxi drivers picking up foreigners over local customers has long been a common scene in Istanbul’s tourist hotspots. Videos showing drivers not accepting Turkish customers and choosing Arabs over Turks have been prevalent on social media over the past months. A TikTok user went even further to prove the point, carrying empty luggage in order to look like a tourist while attempting to flag down a taxi.

Locals who are often denied rides see tourists, especially Arabs, as the scapegoat for Istanbul’s taxi shortage. The reason is simple: The shortage of cabbies makes drivers go on a demand-based approach in which they require higher fees despite a fixed rate per kilometer. While foreigners tend to pay up to tenfold the actual price and give big tips, locals struggling under a weakening Turkish lira stick to the fixed fares set by authorities.

Taxi time in Taksim #Istanbul🚕 pic.twitter.com/Ja3gvIUsr4