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What's worse than getting stuck on I-95 for hours? A $600 Uber ride.
Last edited Thu Jan 6, 2022, 07:30 PM - Edit history (1)
While Andrew Peters didn’t have food or water, the Richmond native had something else waiting when he finally got home: A massive bill.
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What’s worse than getting stuck on I-95 for hours? A $600 Uber ride.
While Andrew Peters didn’t have food or water, the Richmond native had something else waiting when he finally got home: A massive bill.
While Andrew Peters didn’t have food or water, the Richmond native had something else waiting when he finally got home: A massive bill.
Local
What’s worse than getting stuck on I-95 for hours? A $600 Uber ride.
By Timothy Bella
Today at 2:03 p.m. EST
Andrew Peters had no idea what awaited him when his flight from San Francisco landed at Washington Dulles International Airport on Monday.
He soon realized the winter storm that dropped about 12 inches of snow in the area was going to be a problem, as he got in his Uber ride-share for a 127-mile drive home to Richmond that would cost him $200. But the situation worsened when Peters and his Uber driver were among the hundreds of motorists stranded on Interstate 95 in Virginia, in a paralyzing closure that kept the pair on the road for nine hours.
“It was kind of scary,” Peters told WTOP. “We didn’t have any food or water.”
While he didn’t have sustenance, Peters had something else waiting when he finally got home Tuesday: a massive $600 bill, after Uber added charges to a ride that mostly had him stranded on I-95. With the $100 he tipped on the original $200 bill, Peters’s total was now more than $700.
“It ticked me off because I had no way of knowing that I would be stuck in this traffic jam for that long, and I don’t feel like that’s fair because they have the directions,” he told WRC. “I have no say in which way the Uber goes.”
After he disputed the charges, Uber announced Wednesday that it was giving Peters a refund for “this terrible ordeal.” The company noted that the driver’s pay would not be affected by the refund. ... “We have refunded Mr. Peters and greatly appreciate his patience,” the company said in a statement. “We’re glad that he and the driver got home safely.”
{snip}
Meagan Flynn, Dana Hedgpeth, Michael Laris, Hannah Natanson and Katherine Shaver contributed to this report.
By Timothy Bella
Timothy Bella is a staff writer and editor for the General Assignment team, focusing on national news. His work has appeared in outlets such as Esquire, the Atlantic, New York magazine and the Undefeated. Twitter https://twitter.com/TimBella
What’s worse than getting stuck on I-95 for hours? A $600 Uber ride.
By Timothy Bella
Today at 2:03 p.m. EST
Andrew Peters had no idea what awaited him when his flight from San Francisco landed at Washington Dulles International Airport on Monday.
He soon realized the winter storm that dropped about 12 inches of snow in the area was going to be a problem, as he got in his Uber ride-share for a 127-mile drive home to Richmond that would cost him $200. But the situation worsened when Peters and his Uber driver were among the hundreds of motorists stranded on Interstate 95 in Virginia, in a paralyzing closure that kept the pair on the road for nine hours.
“It was kind of scary,” Peters told WTOP. “We didn’t have any food or water.”
While he didn’t have sustenance, Peters had something else waiting when he finally got home Tuesday: a massive $600 bill, after Uber added charges to a ride that mostly had him stranded on I-95. With the $100 he tipped on the original $200 bill, Peters’s total was now more than $700.
“It ticked me off because I had no way of knowing that I would be stuck in this traffic jam for that long, and I don’t feel like that’s fair because they have the directions,” he told WRC. “I have no say in which way the Uber goes.”
After he disputed the charges, Uber announced Wednesday that it was giving Peters a refund for “this terrible ordeal.” The company noted that the driver’s pay would not be affected by the refund. ... “We have refunded Mr. Peters and greatly appreciate his patience,” the company said in a statement. “We’re glad that he and the driver got home safely.”
{snip}
Meagan Flynn, Dana Hedgpeth, Michael Laris, Hannah Natanson and Katherine Shaver contributed to this report.
By Timothy Bella
Timothy Bella is a staff writer and editor for the General Assignment team, focusing on national news. His work has appeared in outlets such as Esquire, the Atlantic, New York magazine and the Undefeated. Twitter https://twitter.com/TimBella