It is certainly true that the ride-hailing company, Uber, after the Travis Kalanick’s (former CEO) resignation, is trying to gather the recent mess of its image together by implementing ways of getting back the trust of both its drivers and riders. The drivers have been promised to earn extra by some new initiatives taken by the company. As per the “180 days of change” campaign, most measures announce more pay to drivers via additional fees charged to the customers or passengers. Now, while the drivers get to earn more, riders have to bear the additional expenses in the form of fees. So, what do you expect when you book an Uber? Any rider would only expect to pay for the total mileage that the ride covers. That being said, what if you are suddenly charged with an extra Uber fee that you have never heard of previously? It will obviously come as a sudden blow and leave you unpleasantly surprised.
So, it is best to be aware of such fees that Uber charges its riders with and also how they work. Here they are at a glance:
First up, is the Late Cancellation Fee!
If a customer cancels the ride after two minutes of the request, he or she will be charged a $5 fee by Uber. The drivers will be eligible for this extra bit of earning only if they have already made progress in reaching you. That goes same for riders who arrive at the pick-up location 5 minutes after the driver is already there. When you don't show up within 2 minutes, the driver is authorized to cancel the ride as "no show" and that is how you are charged with the $5 fee. Now, the cancellation fee will differ for an SUV or an UberBlack; it'll then be $10. By the mid of this year, the cancellation fee eligibility time has been dropped to two from five.
If you wish to avoid this fee, you must be sure of the request and be ready at the pick-up location when the driver arrives. Uber makes it more convenient by sending you a notification that the ride has arrived. However, Uber app has an inbuilt tracker that can track fee abuses made by drivers on purpose and thus deactivates them.
ABOUT REFUND: This fee has the maximum chances of getting refunded if you are polite enough in the mail that you drop with a refund request. Uber has enough data to track how long the driver or the customer waited before opting for cancellation.
The Toll Fee
The idea is simple; you pay the fee if the driver has paid the toll. Whether the driver has to pay a road toll on the in between the trip duration or even when returning from the trip, the customer will be charged for it. People, who are residents of areas where road toll charges are evident, go easy on such charges. But, when someone is new in town and is unaware of the roads and its rules, the toll charge might just come across as a surprise. Tunnels and bridge roads generally have the toll system so, if you want to avoid paying the toll fee, simply tell the driver to take another road because, by all means, toll fees are non-refundable.
The cleaning fee in Uber
The Cleaning fee varies according to the severity of the damage caused. It is generally between $40 & $150. This Uber fee is only applicable if the passenger has caused any exterior or interior damage to the driver's car. The procedure is that Uber sends you an email explaining the damage you've caused to the car and notifies that a cleaning fee will be inclusive in the total of your ride cost. There are customers who are shocked when this fee is charged but perhaps they overlook the fact that Uber is authorized to do so as per the terms and condition of its services which all users agree too before the account is created.
But, take it easy, because drivers cannot just casually claim an easy damage fee. Uber needs proof. So, the driver needs to send in a photograph of the damage before being eligible for the claim of the cleaning fee.
Please note that since Uber drivers are actually proving the instance of damage, the customer also has to provide solid proof to Uber to dismiss the claim. This might take weeks and generally, this one is not refunded.
Booking Charges:
A flat fee is added to each ride for providing support and safety to riders & to cover operational costs according to Uber. This fee is known as the Booking fee or previously known as "Safe Rides" fee. The booking fee varies according to the city in which you book an Uber car. This fee is absolutely non-refundable since it covers operational costs. The standardized fee ranges between $1.40-1.80/ rides.
Fee for retrieval of lost item:
In an instance when a rider loses an item that the driver returns to him or her, the rider is charged $15. Technically, Uber drivers are not accountable for any lost items. Thus, if you have mistakenly left something of yours in the car and the driver finds it, they are not liable to return it. But when you contact the driver through the Uber app to retrieve the lost item, you get the convenience of choosing the time and place of picking up the item, but you pay for it. There are no exceptions.
Airport surcharge & fee:
Airports charge Uber per drop off and pick up at the airport; evidently Uber passes on the charge to its riders. The flat fee charged by airports is around $4. If the drop-off or pickup location is an airport, the fee gets included to the ride.
Lastly, Authorization fee is temporary:
When a rider adds a new mode of payment, Uber charges a temporary authorization fee of $5 to verify the activation of the payment method. But, in a few business days, this charge is wiped off from your Uber account.