When rideshare big Uber first launched in Australia in 2012, it was met with enthusiasm from customers who had grown bored with lengthy waits and no-shows from taxis.
Key factors:
- Customers say Uber cancellations have elevated over the previous few months
- Uber says it is not the fault of drivers, who’re struggling amid rising fuel costs
- Demand is up as “Queenslanders get back to pre-pandemic patterns of travel”
Ten years on, frustration is rising amongst Uber customers with very related complaints.
Uber drivers say rising fuel prices are to blame, whereas the corporate cites elevated demand as travellers return to pre-pandemic habits.
Leigh Macey is a daily Uber rider in Cairns, however she mentioned the rise in cancellations was placing her off desirous to exit for a drink.
“It’s a s**t fight to try and get home,” she mentioned.
“When you’re out and you want to go home, you want to go home — not two hours later.
“If you get a driver who truly turns up with out cancelling it is like profitable lotto.”
Ms Macey said the service in Cairns had worsened over the past few months.
“I’ve even had Uber drivers name me and ask me to cancel in order that they would not lose their scores,” she mentioned.
Ms Macey has another concern about the high rate of Uber cancellations.
And it’s not confined to the state’s far north.
Customer Ineke McMahon said she regularly caught Ubers from Brisbane city to her house at Holland Park West.
“It’s a nightmare anytime from 5pm till 6pm,” Ms McMahon said.
“I’ve began messaging the drivers and asking them to please not cancel and providing a money tip if they do not cancel.”
Drivers say it’s not their fault
The secretary of the Rideshare Drivers Association of Australia (RSDAA), Les Johnson, said increased fuel prices were having a flow-on effect on bookings.
“Back once we began the RSDAA, fuel was round $1 a litre and we have been getting about $1.45 a kilometre paid to us by Uber,” Mr Johnson said.
“Since then, there has solely been a few marginal will increase and fuel is now over $2 per litre.
“Sometimes we will get offered a job that can be 15 to 20 minutes away and then when you get there it’s only a five-minute trip.
“That’s why the number of cancellations is going up.”
Tourist Sharon Barnes, who was visiting Cairns from Melbourne, mentioned she couldn’t imagine how unhealthy the Uber state of affairs was in Far North Queensland.
“I’m up here for 10 days and I’ve found that Uber drivers are cancelling if you’re not wanting a lift in the CBD,” she mentioned.
“They don’t want to travel the extra couple kilometres for the same money. It makes it a pain when you’re staying just out of town.”
Increased demand partly to blame
Demand for Uber journeys in Queensland had elevated by 40 per cent for the reason that begin of the yr, in line with Uber, as “Queenslanders get back to pre-pandemic patterns of travel”.
“We are conscious of the impact increased demand has on the rider experience, and we’re focused on doing more to make sure the platform can meet rider expectations,” an Uber firm spokesperson mentioned.
“We’re also proactively letting driver-partners know about the negative impact cancellations can have on the experience of riders and other driver-partners.
“Queensland driver-partners can see the rider’s journey fare earlier than the journey begins, as required by state laws.”
Uber was not in a position to present the ABC with any knowledge on the variety of cancelled journeys by drivers over the previous 12 months.