'It's depressing': Uber may be taking money from rider's pockets meant for drivers Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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WEBVTT OW ACTION NEWS INVESTIGATES. ANDREW: UBER TAKES OFF HERE IN PITTSBURGH. THE RIDESHARING SERVICE SOARING IN POPULARITY THIS YEAR. THOUSANDS DEPEND ON UBER EACH WEEK TO CATCH A RIDE WHILE HUNDREDS DRIVE FOR THE SERVICE TO EARN EXTRA CASH. SHANNON: WE TAKE AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE RATE YOU'RE BEING CHARGED. PITTSBURGH'S ACTION NEWS 4 REPORTER BEAU BERMAN IS ON THIS STORY HE WANTED TO FIND OUT IF CUSTOMERS AND DRIVERS ARE GETTING SHORTCHANGED HERE. HE'S LIVE. REPORTER: YEAH, SHANNON, IT MIGHT NOT SEEM LIKE A BIG DEAL IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A DOLLAR HERE OR A DOLLAR THERE, RIGHT? IF YOU MULTIPLY IT BY THE MILLIONS OF UBER RIDES ORDERED EACH WEEK WORLDWIDE IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THE COMPANY COULD BE CLEARING A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF MONEY FROM THE POCKETS OF RIDERS THAT SHOULD BE GOING TO THE DRIVERS. IT'S THE KEY TO AN INDEPENDENT INCOME IN THE EYES OF THOSE LIKE KEVIN SWAN WHO DRIVE UBER. >> HEY, KEVIN,. >> HOW IS IT GOING. >> I'M DOING EXCELLENT. >> GOOD MORNING. REPORTER: KEVIN DOES IT FULL TIME SPENDING 50 TO 60 HOURS A WEEK CHAUFFEURING PITTSBURGHERS ACROSS THE CITY. UBER KEEPS 25% OF EACH FARE PAID BY THE RIDER. KEVIN KEEPS 75%. AT LEAST THAT'S HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO WORK? IT'S NOT NARE. REPORTER: KEVIN IS I REFERRING TO GROWING CONCERNS ABOUT PROBLEMS WITH UBER'S PRICING AND PAYOUTS. EXAMPLES POSTED TO BLOGS LIKE THE RIDESHARE GUIDE.COM CLAIMS TO INCONSISTENCIES. >> IT'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT STATES, A LOT OF DIFFERENT CITIES, AND I'VE HEARD DRIVERS HERE COMPLAIN ABOUT FARE DISCREPANCIES, SO, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO SEE FIRSTHAND. REPORTER: KEVIN TEAMED UP WITH ACTION NEWS INVESTIGATES TO FIND OUT IF IT'S HAPPENING HERE. >> DESTINATION IS GOING TO BE 400ARDMORE BOULEVARD. REPORTER: STEP ONE GOING INTO MY PHONE ON THE APP REQUESTING A RIDE. KEVIN WAS RIGHT NEXT TO ME HIS APP PINGED TELLING ME HE WAS MY DRIVER. >> THE FARE LASH 9 O FRZ 75. REPORTER: WE HEADED FROM EAST LIBERTY TO THE WTAE STUDIOS IN WILKINSBURG. >> IT'S SAYING 22 MINUTES, ABOUT 6 MILES. REPORTER: UBER SAYS THE UP FRONT PRICE YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU'LL PAY. SOUN GOOD. >> ALL RIGHT HERE WE ARE. REPORTER: WHEN WE PULLED UP AND THE RIDE ENDED I WAS CHARGED 12.46, WHICH IS $2.71 MORE THAN MY ORIGINAL UP FRONT PRICE OF $9.75. AOEBER TELL UBER SAYS THA TYPE OF DISCREPANCY COULD HAPPEN IF THERE I TRAFFIC OR THE DRIVER TAKES ANOTHER ROUTE. KEF VINCE PHO SHOWED 11.01. THE CHARGE TO ME WAS 12.46. KEF VINCE PAYOUT TO UBER WAS 8.26 WAS A BASED O THE 11.01FARE WHICH MEANS HE MISSION HET OUT ON MORE THAN A DOLLAR. WHO GETS THAT MONEY. >> UBER DOES. I DIDN'T GET IT. REPORTER: HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL. >> THAT IS DEPRESSING. REPORTER: WE INITIATED A NEW RIDE DRIVING FROM OUR STUDIO BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED IN EAST LIBERTY. THIS TIME MY UP FRONT FAIR WAS 11.20, AT THE END OF THE RIDE IT STAYED AT 11.20, GOOD. BUT ON KEF VINCE PHONE IT SAID THE FARE WAS ONLY 7.33. MISS PAYOUT WAS JUST 5.50. THAT MEANS ROUGHLY $3 WENT UNACCOUNT ACCOUNTED FOR. >> EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS ESPECIALLY IF THAT IS ALL I'M DOING SO -- THAT'S LESS MONEY I HAVE TO PAY BILLS WITH. REPORTER: THE THING IS MOST DRIVERS WOULD NEVER CATCH THIS, BECAUSE WHILE RIDERS FARES ARE DISPLAYED UP FRONT THE DRIVER'S APP DOESN'T SHOW THE FARE BREAK DOWN UNTIL SEVERAL MINUTES AFTER THE PASSENGER IS DROOPED OFF. MEANING DRIVERS CAN'T EASILY COMPARE CHARGES WITH THEIR RIDERS, MANY JUST MOVE ON TO THE NEXT RIDE. >> WE ARE REALLY FOCUSED ON INCREASED TRANSPARENCY AND AWARENESS. REPORTER: RYAN GREEN IS CO-FOUNDER OF PITTSBURGH-BASED START UP GRID WISE WHICH GIVES TAXI, UBER AND LIFT WHY ARE DRIVERS DATA ON DRIVERS TO HELP MAXIMIZE PROFITS. HE THAN ACE PARTNER SAY DRIVERS ON THEIR PLATFORM ARE TALKING ABOUT THE UBER PRICING PROBLEMS AS WELL. >> PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS. >> IT'S NOT TOO HARD TO DO THE MATH AND FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT A CERTAIN FARE FROM A RIDER SHOULD BE EARNING ME AS A DRIVER. AND WHEN THEY SEE THAT DISCREPANCY IT RAISES QUESTIONS. REPORTER: QUESTIONS THAT UBER WOULD NOT ALLOW US TO ASK THEM IN PERSON, VIA SKYPE OR EVEN IN A RECORDED PHONE INTERVIEW. THE COMPANY DID EMAIL US THOUGH SAYING "WITH UP FRONT FARES THE RIDERS AGREE TO A FARE THAT IS CALCULATED IN ADVANCE. DRIVERS GET PAID BASED ON A PER MILE PER MINUTE RACE WHICH IS NORMAL FROM UBER X. WHILE NO MODEL IS ONE HUNDRED PERCENT PERFECT WHAT DRIVERS PAY AND DRIVERS EARN ON THE TRIP IS DIFFERENT FROM TIME TO TIME. WE TRIED TWO RIDES WITH KEVIN AND NEITHER DISCREPANCY IS A LARGE AMOUNT. KEVIN IS CONCERNED IF IT HAPPENS FREQUENTLY HE COULD BE LOSING A LOT OF CRASH OVERTIME IT'S WHAT MADE KEVIN WILLING TO PARTNER WITH US AND TEST THE SYSTEM EVEN THOUGH HE'S CONCERNED UBER MIGHT NOT BE HAPPY WITH HIM? THERE IS THAT FACTOR IN THE IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD. IF IT BRINGS THE LIGHT TO WHAT IS GOING ON I WOULD RATHER YOU KNOW NOT WORK THERE AND WORK SOMEWHERE AND THEY HAVE UNFAIR PRACTICES. REPORTER: NOW AN UBER SPOKESMAN TELLS ME "UP FRONT FARES TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ALL THE FACTORS THAT TYPICALLY AFFECT THE PRICE OF A TRIP INCLUDING EXPECTED TIME, DIFFERENCE IN TRAFFIC AND HOW MANY OTHER RIDERS ARE REQUESTING RIDES AT THAT TIME. IF THE RIDES TAKE SIGNIFICANTLY LONGER THAN ESTIMATED THE FARE WILL BE RECALCULATED ON THE TIME AND DISTANCE OF THE TRIP. THEY SAY THE DRIVER'S ROUTE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LONGER THAN WHAT THEIR SYSTEMES MATED. UBER EXPLAINS HAD WE CONTACTED THEM AFTER WE FOUND THIS DISCREPANCY WRITTEN IN FOR SUPPORT THEY WOULD HAVE REFUNDED THAT DIFFERENCE TO US WE WOULD HAVE ONLY PAID THE UP FRONT

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