Uber Charges Rs 1,334 Instead Of Rs 359 For 8.8 Km Trip, Gets Rs 20,000 Fine
The District Consumer Forum in Chandigarh has imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on ride-hailing app Uber after it charged Rs 1,334 for a 15-minute ride.
According to the complaint filed by one Ashwani Prashar, a resident of Chandigarh, he was charged Rs 1,334 for 8.83 km for a ride on August 6, 2021.
Upfront fare was Rs 359
The complainant said that when he booked the ride, the app showed him a fare of Rs 359.
However, after the trip was completed, he was charged a sum of Rs 1,334.
Uber had blamed the manifold increase in fares due to multiple route deviations during the course of the journey.
The complainant said that he had reached out to Uber's customer support through chats and emails the next day, but failed to get the issue resolved.
What Uber said
Responding to his complaint at the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission of Chandigarh, Uber India said that the final amount was higher than the upfront fare shown to the rider due to multiple route deviations.
Uber, however, informed the forum that it was not able to determine if the deviations were caused by the complainant or the driver. It further claimed that they cannot be held liable as it acts merely as an intermediary between the rider and the driver and is not party to any agreement between them regarding the route taken for the journey.
Uber also informed that it had refunded Uber Credits worth Rs 975 to the complainant as a goodwill gesture.
Unfair trade practice: Consumer forum??
However, the Consumer Forum held that the ¡°practice of charging excess fare than that of actual contracted fare at the time of advance booking, is unfair trade practice."
It also fined Uber India Rs 20000, out of which Rs 10,000 should be paid to the complainant and the remaining should be deposited in the Legal aid account.
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