RICHMOND, Va. — What was supposed to be a $200 trip from the airport turned into a $600 nightmare for a Virginia man who was stuck in an Uber on Interstate 95 in a snowstorm.
Andrew Peters told WRC-TV he was returning home from a trip to California and grabbed the Uber from Washington Dulles International Airport to Richmond, a 127-mile trip. “We hopped on the first exit and then it was just, we stopped moving right there. There were cars behind us. There was nowhere to go. It was like being in some weird parking lot,” Peters told the station.
Peters described the situation as frightening because he and his driver had no food or water, but they eventually made it to Richmond nine hours later, WTOP-FM reported. At that time, Peters paid the $200 bill, adding a $100 tip for the driver, WRC-TV reported.
Peters said it was after he paid the $200 that Uber added an additional $400 to the bill, raising the total to $600, The Associated Press reported. He disputed the charge. Uber sent a statement to The Associated Press saying in part, “We have refunded Mr. Peters after this terrible ordeal and are so glad that he and his Uber driver got home safely.”
On its website, Uber warns that “heavy traffic may cause your trip to take longer than expected and to compensate your driver for the additional time, your fare may change.”