If you want to take an Uber during "surge pricing," the app has you move through a series of clicks so you know, without a doubt, what you're getting into.
Sterling, Virginia, resident Bonnie Lieb knew this when she willingly hailed an Uber for a 30-mile ride to Reagan National Airport Monday morning, and agreed to a 4.4x surge price.
The Washington Post reports Lieb "almost passed out" when she saw her bill: A whopping $640. Lieb assumed the ride would normally be ~$50, so she was willing to pay $200-250 with surge. But according to The Post, Uber confirmed that "Lieb ordered the Uber SUV service — the most expensive option. That base rate, it turns out, was $144.76, not the $50 or so cost of the cheaper Uber X option that her neighbors might have used. So the 4.4x surge charge did, indeed, add up to $640.94."
This isn't the first Uber surge horror story that's made headlines.
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In 2014, we wrote about a woman who started a fundraiser for herself on Go Fund Me after she took a $360 Uber ride she couldn't afford.
On her GoFund.me site from November 2014, she wrote:
Last night was Halloween. Great time. Today is my 26th birthday. Not so great time. I live in Baltimore and went out with my friends to celebrate my birthday at midnight. When 3 AM rolled around, I suggested we take an Uber hole to avoid drunk driving (#responsibility/#MADD). I live 22 minutes , tops, from the party I was leaving.
When I awoke this morning, I heard a friend talking about how outrageous Uber rates were the night before (9x original rate). I checked my bank account to, unbeknownst to me, I see a charge for $362. Not only is it my 26th birthday, it is rent day. My rent is $450 and I can no longer pay it today due to this completely outrageous charge.
She took down the page after it started getting lots of attention, but she was also able to raise $500.
Lieb ended up getting a $160 credit from Uber, where a company rep said Uber understands "surge pricing may come as a surprise the first time."
