In the past few months, I’ve been using Uber service to keep me moving from point A to point B in Jakarta. Uber offered me a very convenient way by connecting me with their drivers very quickly. Only with a hit of a button, the driver will go to my place and take me to my final destination. And Uber Apps also allowed me to get some details of my driver like his/her first name, mobile number, car plate number, his/her current location, and expected time arrival (ETA).
These pretty cool features allow me to focus on my things rather than spending my time catching up a taxi from the street or spending few rupiah calling for a taxi operator. Unfortunately, I also received some not-so-Uber experiences in the past few rides. It can be due to GPS glitch, inefficient routes to an unexpected road closure. For an example, about two months ago, due to a technical GPS error, my 2.5 km normal ride turn out to be a 14.07 km ride as written in the following receipt from Uber.
Looking at the Uber fare breakdown, the app calculated I travelled 14.07 km in 21 minutes. Based on Uber Jakarta’s pricing policy. Under a normal 2.5 km ride, with mileage charged at Rp2,000 per km, Uber should charge me Rp5,000 (Fuel). I also spent about 21 minutes in the car, at Rp300 per minute, which also work out Rp6,300 (Driver). Add those together with a base fare Rp3,000 (Car Rental), I should have only paid Uber Rp14,300 instead of Rp37,000.
I felt rather ripped off because Uber charged me more than two times the normal fare. I opened the Uber app and contacted them via ‘Need Help?’ button.
Less than five minutes, Joseph, an Uber Support Team, responded to my queries via email.
It looks like the fare is different than you expected due to a GPS issue, which also explains why the map in your receipt might look a bit off. Because fares are based on the distance and time recorded by GPS data in your driver’s app, technical errors can occasionally lead to inaccurate fares.
He also asked me to provide my pickup location and destination. I provided him these locations and a few minutes later he replied:
I’ve checked your trip and based on the pickup location and destination you’ve provided, it should have only cost Rp10,855. I’ve adjusted the fare accordingly and you’ll see it reflected on your account within a few business days.
A few minutes later, I received another email from Uber that they have refunded Rp26,145 to my credit card.
BOTTOM LINE: I was amazed by how quick Uber responded to my queries and adjusted my fare fairly based on my actual pickup location and destination. If you’ve ever experienced any type of not-so-Uber experiences, I urge you to contact Uber directly so they can fix your journey.
Yangki Suara 
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