All you Uber riders and potential users, be aware of what your fare is going to be via the Uber app before you ask for a ride.

Read the price, then decide if you want to pay or find another way home. “Dynamic pricing” is what Uber forewarns it uses – and rides can be expensive.

For example, some Uber users received big bills for rides on Halloween, including a $326 fare that’s received national media attention. But Uber, which is involved in an ongoing dispute with Raleigh-Durham International Airport about licensing, says its pricing policy is clear. 

No trick.

Two triangle Uber riders complained to WRAL TV’s Candace Sweat in a report aired Monday night. One user was billed $455 – 10 times the normal fare for a ride between Chapel Hill and Durham. Another complained about an $82 fare in Raleigh – around 10 times the usual rate. (Sweat’s report can be watched online.)

In one Triangle case, Uber is rebating back part of a charge.

A co-worker at WRAL.com was stunned by a $90 fare for an 11-minute ride last Friday. She filed a complaint as soon as the amount showed up via online billing.

“They charged people as much as 900% markup on Halloween,” the Uber user wrote. “I received a nastygram receipt in my email Saturday morning – almost $90 for an 11 minute ride home.

“I sent a nice request today to refund the difference and they responded within 4 hours and had fulfilled my request.”

However, a spokesperson for Uber says the adjustment was not related to “dynamic pricing.”

One woman in Baltimore identified as Gabrielle Wallen was hit with a $326 bill for a 22-minute ride at around 3 a.m. She appealed for help via a “GoFund.me” site, saying she couldn’t pay her rent as a result. As Business Insider and other sites reported, she raised more than $500.

According to Uber, the woman also utilized what’s called “UberBLACK trip,” a luxury offering.

“Uber ensures a safe, reliable ride, wherever and whenever, and dynamic pricing allows us to remain the reliable choice, even on the busiest nights of the year,” Uber’s Taylor Bennett told WRAL TechWire. “Our in-app features ensure dynamic pricing is repeatedly communicated and approved before any trip is confirmed.”

Uber also posted a blog warning about higher Halloween fares.

Uber’s explanation

In the Triangle, Uber responded to the WRAL.com rider’s complaint with an explanation along with a partial refund.

“[T]hanks for writing in, and so sorry about the price catching you off guard! It looks like your trip was taken at a time when due to high demand for rides, our fares were increased to ensure we had rides available for those who needed them. As you know, the surge rate charged for this trip was: 7.3x,” Uber wrote.

“Our goal is to be as reliable as possible, and sometimes we see such high demand that our supply of available cars gets tight. To ensure we have rides available for everyone who needs one, we have surge pricing, which increases our rates incrementally as our demand outstrips our supply and then lowers them back to normal as demand goes down and cars free up. We take notifying you of the current rates seriously – you should absolutely be aware of the higher cost. To that end, we show a notification screen on the app and don’t allow you to request a ride without accepting to ensure you understand the rate increase.

“In the future, you can always get an idea of what a fare will cost ahead of your ride by using the fare quote tool on our city page. You can also run an estimate in your app.

“To do so, select your car preference and pickup location, then tap Fare Quote to enter your destination and see the range of what similar trips typically cost. Keep in mind that our fares can fluctuate for similar routes depending on traffic, tolls and special route requests.

“I do understand that your service tonight was less than Uber, however, and I’m really sorry to hear about that. As a result, I’m going to go ahead and refund your account for $64.92, and you should see that amount back in your account in 1-4 business days.

“If I can help with anything else please let me know. Hope to see you in an Uber soon.”

More details

For those new to Uber, here is more background on dynamic pricing as explained by the company:

  • “With dynamic pricing, Uber rates increase to get more cars on the road and ensure reliability during the busiest times. When enough cars are on the road, prices go back down to normal levels.
  • “It’s important to know that you’ll always be notified in big, bold print if surge pricing is in effect before you confirm a ride.
  • “There are several features within the Uber app that ensure surge pricing is communicated repeatedly, that a rider accepts and confirms multiple times, as well as opportunities to check prices and be notified when rates drop.
  • “When rates are more than double, you’re required to manually type in the exact surge rate number before you can confirm the trip.
  • “Our fare estimator will help you determine the cost of your ride in advance, so you can get the approximate fare before you request a car.
  • “There’s a feature that allows you to be alerted when the surge rate decreases, so you can choose to wait for a ride when demand is less.
  • “Ultimately, we think it’s better for a user to open the app, see surge pricing in place and have a choice about whether to proceed than to open the app and see that there are no cars available.”