Elon Musk concerned over Uber modifying fares for customers

Tesla and Twitter CEO Elon Musk responded to the news in which a newspaper from Belgian Dernière Heure accused ride hailing service Uber of changing fares according to the battery life of its customer’s phones.

A study conducted by the newspaper investigated the claims and reported to have found “discrepancies”.

The study was conducted on two smartphones, one with 84% battery and the other with 12%, to request a ride from their office in Brussels to Tour and Taxis in the centre.

The investigators found the price difference, with the phone at 12% battery being charged €17.56 and the phone at 84% battery being charged €16.6 for the same service.

While responding to this report, Musk tweeted: “Dark if true, lol”.

In a response to the study, Uber rejected the findings of the Belgian newspaper.

Uber’s spokesperson said: “Uber does not take into account the phone’s battery level to calculate the price of a trip. The dynamic pricing applied to trips booked via Uber is determined by the existing demand for rides and the supply of drivers who can respond to it.”

The spokesperson also added: “During peak hours, when there are many ride requests and few available drivers in a certain geographical area, this may impact the price of the trip.”

The Brussels Times said: “Uber’s explanation does not clarify why two users requesting the same ride at the same time would pay different fares. In any case, the price discrepancy may encourage users to compare offers on their respective phones when booking rides together.”