Uber announce London fare increases with bumper increase on airport trips

Image credit : TaxiPoint

Ride-hailing firm Uber has announced a fare increase in London as they look to recruit more drivers to cover demand.

The company has said in recent weeks, during peak times, cancellation rates and waiting times have been higher than normal, which they believe has been an issue for all other apps and operators.

They say to help provide a “better rider experience” by bringing more drivers onto the app, they are implementing an increase of 10% in London fares.

They say they have a similar number of drivers who are choosing to use the Uber app compared to before the pandemic, however the huge spike in demand of almost 20% since the end of lockdown means that they need 20,000 more drivers to help get service levels back to normal.

They believe this change will also help to reduce surge pricing, meaning that the average fare increase for riders will often be lower than 10%.

An additional 15% rise will apply ― limited to peak times only ― at London’s biggest airports: London Stansted (STN), London Gatwick (LGW), London Heathrow (LHR) and London Luton (LTN).

A spokesperson for Uber, said: “We’re making these changes to help provide a better rider experience, by signing up more drivers to meet the growing demand. We know people rely on Uber to book a safe trip around London and this small fare increase will help reduce wait times. As always riders will get a fare estimate before booking their journey.”