Shocked passengers have their Uber fare TRIPLED as they are charged $150 for a 12-minute ride travelling just 5km
- The group walked to McDonald’s to increase their chances of finding a driver
- They were quoted $52 for a 12 minute ride travelling just 5km to their home
- An Ola had previously cost them just $10.86 for the same time and distance
- They will file a complaint after the they were charged three times the quote
A group of passengers have been charged nearly $150 for a 12 minute ride travelling 5km.
The revellers had attended the Listen In festival at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland and walked to a nearby McDonald’s to increase their chances of finding a driver.
They were originally quoted an already expensive $52 fare but arrived home only to realise they had been charged $148.17 – about three times the estimated amount.
The group of four had ordered an Ola from their home address in Remuera to the festival, which cost just $10.86 after using a 20 per cent discount code.
The group were originally quoted an already expensive $52 fare but arrived home only to realise they had been charged $148.17 – about three times the estimated amount
They had opted for an Uber for a ride home because they couldn’t connect to an Ola driver at 1am, the NZ Herald reported.
The group were already left baffled by the $52 Uber quote but assumed the expensive amount was due to the high demand for drivers at the time.
They noticed the pick-up address was at St Mary’s Bay instead of Mt Smart stadium after being dropped off.
The distance between St Mary’s Bay and the group’s Remuera address is just under 10km and takes less than 20 minutes.
A 23-year-old woman, who was part of the group, said the cost they were charged was ‘absurd’ and they planned to complain to the company.
‘It took half an hour of waiting to be connected to a driver and a cancellation before we found a driver willing to take us,’ she said.
The revellers had attended the Listen In festival (pictured) at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland and walked to a nearby McDonald’s to increase their chances of finding a driver
Acccording to Uber’s website, the prices of rides surge to match driver supply to rider demand.
Riders will see a multiplier to the standard rates on the map, while using the app.
‘For example, you might see a surge at 1.8x or 2.5x,’ the website read.
‘This is how much your base fare will be multiplied by, so a fare that is usually $10 would be $18 when it’s at 1.8x.’
An Uber spokesman said they were ‘actively looking into this’ and could not comment any further.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Uber for further comment.
A 23-year-old woman, who was part of the group, said the cost they were charged was ‘absurd’ and they planned to complain to the company (stock image)