An Uber driver contacted DM News to share his exchange with Uber Support after he personally asked the company to refund a passenger — explaining that he had accidentally accepted a £7.17 fare for a seven-mile journey, which he described as “an insult to drivers.”
The experienced driver from Merseyside, who asked to remain anonymous, contacted Uber’s Priority Support team after realising that a recent 7-mile journey between Birkenhead and Bromborough had been priced at just £7.17.
In messages shared with DM News, the driver told Uber:
“£7.17 for a trip over 7 miles is an insult. This trip would cost at least £14 with any local firm. If I’d had more than a few seconds to read all the information before taking the job, I wouldn’t have accepted it.”
Despite several replies from Uber’s support agents confirming that the fare was “calculated accurately” and “not eligible for any adjustments,” the driver stood firm — repeatedly asking Uber to refund the customer from his own account instead.
In one of his follow-up messages, he wrote:
“Please refund the £7.17 back to the customer. I would rather treat that trip as a free taxi and call it a one-off charity job than work for £1 a mile.”
After several exchanges, Uber eventually agreed.
A final message from Uber’s Priority Support confirmed:
“Kindly note that we have refunded the rider as requested.”
The driver later thanked the support team, saying he would “sleep better knowing” he hadn’t been underpaid for such a long journey.
DM News Commentary
This story highlights growing frustration among UK Uber drivers over low fare rates and the increasing number of long-distance jobs being priced at barely £1 per mile.
For many professional drivers, the combination of rising fuel prices, maintenance costs, and Uber’s upfront pricing model means that some fares now fall below sustainable levels — particularly on suburban routes outside major cities.
While Uber’s support team maintained that the fare was “accurately calculated,” the incident raises questions about how fares are structured and whether Uber’s algorithms fairly reflect driver costs in real-world conditions.
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