You’ll soon have to pay for leaving an Uber driver waiting – and have less time to cancel a ride
The decision is a huge change of heart for the company trying to rebuild its reputation after coming under fire for complains of sexual harassment and poor workers righ
UBER drivers will no longer wait for their slow customers in vain.
Customers will soon be charged a per-minute fee if their driver waits at the pick-up point from two minutes after the car's arrival.
The fee will be the same as the rate for the product in that city.
That means in London it would cost you 15p per minute for an UberX.
“When a driver arrives promptly, we think it’s only fair that they’re compensated for their time.
"So we’re testing something new: paying drivers for wait times that exceed 2 minutes,” Uber said.
The decision is a huge change of heart for the company trying to rebuild its reputation after coming under fire for complains of sexual harassment and poor workers right.
“You told us what you want and it’s time we step up and give you the driving experience you deserve, because simply put, Uber wouldn’t exist without you,” Uber said in a statement.
The changes are all designed to benefit drivers as part Uber's news “180 Days of Change” campaign.
Other measures include a cancellation fee for drivers if their rider cancels after more than two minutes, down from a five-minute waiting time.
Riders will also now be asked whether they would like to leave tips when rating their driver at the end of trip.
The plan is currently to roll out the changes to all US based drivers by August 2017.
But the company confirmed that most of the new rules will also be coming to the UK and internationally by the end of the year.
Unfortunately for Uber, the good news was overshadowed by the report that its boss Travis Kalanick resigned in the face of disgruntled investors’ outrage over its company culture.
Kalanick, who helped found Uber eight years ago, resigned as chief executive following several months of scandals for the company.
He confirmed his departure in a statement: “I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investors’ request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight.”
The news comes just weeks after the American billionaire lost his mother in a tragic boating accident.
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