Originally posted on June 30, 2019 @ 12:50 PM
I knew Uber had fees that it deducts from our fares. And over the years, I watched those deductions increase. But I just accepted them as the “cost of doing business” and never really paid them much attention. In their totality.
And much has changed since I originally published this post, and not in a good way! The Uber booking fee is actually now up to $10!
Riders are billed a Booking Fee and an Airport Surcharge (Pickup Fee).
But So Are Drivers!
I could be wrong, but it feels like Uber is double-dipping.
The Booking Fee . . . is included in the rider’s total fare and does not impact the amount you receive for each trip.
Really?!
Check out my own account and what I discovered between the last week of June and the first week of July:
Notice the Booking Fees are sometimes more than the Service Fee (which is supposed to be Uber’s 25% cut).
The service fee is a variable amount added . . . retained by us such as airport fees, taxes, and surcharges.
This cannot be accurate when we can clearly see a separate Airport Surcharge fee.
What’s interesting is that the Service Fee percentage is oftentimes more than 25% OR sometimes, it’s simply Zero, which makes NO sense.
Yet, the Booking Fees and Airport Surcharge are ALWAYS deducted from the drivers’ earnings.
Uber’s language clearly states the riders’ fare includes the Booking Fee. And riders have also confirmed their fare includes the Airport Surcharge (pickup fee).
Previous Increase
Here’s a real gem . . . in mid-July, Uber sent a mass notice of a refund.
Mine was .43 cents for a trip on May 24, 2019 at 2 PM.
The Booking Fee that day was $2.60.
I have no idea when it went to $2.90, but you see in the video that it has increased to $3.40!
And here’s an airport pickup trip on May 24, but earlier in the day.
The booking fee is $2.60 and the airport pickup fee is $3.85. The riders’ fare includes both.
However, when you add what Uber Receives, $15.07, and the Airport Surcharge, $3.85, you get $18.92.
Deduct $18.92 from what the Rider Pays, $52.85, and that is what Uber paid me, $33.93.
For further enlightenment, take a look at HOW MUCH Uber took every month in 2018.
Are you interested enough yet to get the HERide app and use referral code: DE50A?