Uber charges hairdresser £50 for eight-mile trip in controversial surge-pricing loophole
The distance from where she was to her home usually costs about £12-£17 in an Uber
A HAIRDRESSER who was stunned to find she had been charged £50 for a 15-minute journey has slammed taxi service Uber.
Debbie Wilkinson, 53, ordered the cab after a night out with friends for a hen party and found a receipt for £49.61 the next day.
She was so shocked at the fare "she nearly fainted" when she saw it and said she will not use the service again.
She said: "I use the app because it makes me feel safer when my husband's not around.
"You can see the driver's face on the app, and you don't feel so scared.
"When I looked at my emails the next day, I nearly fainted. I knew they do surge pricing but that was ridiculous."
The distance from Palmerston Road in Portsmouth, Hants, to her home in Waterlooville, Hants, is just eight miles and typically costs £12 to £17 in an Uber taxi.
Local taxi firm AquaCars estimated the 15-minute journey at midnight would cost £12, while another local company, City Wide Taxis, estimated the trip would cost £19.
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Mrs Wilkinson admits she had accepted a higher 'surge' price when ordering the Uber, which is implemented to meet demand at peak travel times.
The surge price works as a multiplier to the cost of the trip and increases as demand gets higher.
However, Uber refunded Mrs Wilkinson £35 after she made a complaint.
An Uber spokesperson said: "Uber uses dynamic pricing to ensure people can always get a car when they want one.
"The fare increases only in response to real-time demand when there are not enough available cars in the area.
"All licensed drivers that use the Uber app do so completely flexibly, so higher fares encourage more drivers to come online and drive.
"When this increased demand is met the price decreases. We make the pricing very clear in the app and riders are notified if 'surge pricing' is in effect. Riders can always get a fare estimate in the app before booking."
It has recently emerged that Tottenham Hotspurs' ground White Hart Lane could be renamed after Uber once the stadiums £700m redevelopment is complete.
Tottenham are looking looking for a naming rights deal worth £20-25m and talks started with the taxi app giant back in July, according to
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