Uber glitch scares passengers with fares 100 times actual price
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Some Uber passengers said they were alarmed to find they were charged 100 times their projected fares for rides Wednesday.
Uber confirmed to FOX Business Thursday that a service interruption resulted in higher amounts being held on customers’ cards at the times trips were booked, but the interruption has been fixed and riders won’t be charged the inflated amounts.
It appears someone may have accidentally moved a decimal point, as customers reported charges like $1,006 for a $10.06 ride through the app. Uber didn’t go into further detail about what caused the issue.
One $1,308 charge was so unexpected an Uber rider said their bank flagged it as possible fraud.
In one case, identified by The Washington Post as one of the worst errors, someone reported a $96.72 ride was billed for $9,672.
The glitch apparently wasn’t limited to traditional Uber passengers. Uber Eats customers also said they received inflated bills.
It’s currently unclear how widespread the issue was or how many customers were affected, but some who took to Twitter to seek help with the unexpected charges were quoting figures in British pounds and other currencies.
Uber said it’s working with banks directly to correct the issue, so its passengers shouldn’t have to. While riders might temporarily see inaccurate fares on their accounts, Uber said they won’t be charged for more than the actual amount of the trip.
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This is Uber’s second glitch to make headlines this month. In early July, drivers reported the ride-sharing app was sending them to passengers’ destinations, rather than pick-up points. Uber said that issue has also been resolved.