A group of Stone Roses revellers were charged over £160 for an Uber taxi from the Etihad to Altrincham.
After enjoying his 20th birthday at the first of the Manchester band’s gigs this week, student Will Sloan said he was left in disbelief when he found out that the journey from the stadium to his home in Altrincham cost him £163.07.
He said: “We noticed at the time that he was going pretty much the longest way possible. We would usually expect to pay about £30-£40 to get home but when I found out I couldn’t believe it. It was outrageous!”
At the end of the journey Will and his friends questioned the driver about his choice of route and he then admitted to taking the wrong route home, saying that he would email to sort out a refund.
Watch: Stone Roses take to stage at Etihad
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Will, who called an Uber using the app on his phone, said: “This just shows that if you aren’t careful Uber can cost you a fortune. The whole situation has put me off ever using Uber again and ruined what would have been a great birthday.”
The three pals chose to get a taxi home when they saw the queue for the Metrolink stretched from the station all the way down to the junction on Alan Turning Way and back again.
They were told the surcharge for their journey would be 4.9.
But after the trip Will went on the app’s help section and clicked on the driver ‘chose a poor route’ option.
He has now been told he will be refunded £50 instantly, making the cost of the journey just over £100.
Despite the refund, he has contacted the online taxi company asking for more.
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He said: “It’s simply not enough, they have mugged us off. Uber have not apologised to me for taking advantage of us on an otherwise fantastic night.”
Up to 60,000 fans were at the opening gig last night when the Stone Roses were supported by Blossoms, Chronixx, and Public Enemy.
An Uber spokesperson said: “While there was a poor route taken, the fare is primarily a result of dynamic pricing. In this case, the trip was accepted at a high multiplier which means that the fare was higher than normal as a result of demand in the area.
“Pricing aside, the driver took a different route but both the rider and the driver wrote into support after and the fare was automatically adjusted for the route.
"Our team is currently following up on his email to support team and will adjust the fare as per our policies.”
