Uber got involved in several polemics related to the behavior of drivers and passengers in 2019. One of the main issues related to the transport app was the scam applied by malicious drivers who circumvented the system to make trips up to four times more expensive than the normal. The fraud was known as "shakes shakes". Another outstanding case was that of a driver who refused to drive to a passenger accompanied by a co-guide, the company was even notified by Procon.
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Among other issues that resonated, is the function that started banning users and drivers for sending improper messages on the app, and the new cancellation fee, which made the fare more expensive for the passenger in some cases. Check out below five polemics that involved Uber in Brazil in 2019.
Uber Retrospective: see five cases of polemics in the app Photo: Aline Batista / dnetc
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1. Hit by drivers made racing more expensive
Some Uber drivers have applied a scam called "shakes shakes" to make races more expensive for passengers, and increase their pay for races. The scam consisted of circumventing the app's own GPS so that the trips seemed longer than necessary. The scam could only be carried out in the Android application and even increased the price of trips by up to four times.
Uber VIP gives advantages to better passengers and drivers of the platform Photo: Reproduo / Rodrigo Fernandes
At the time of the cases in July, Uber reported that it works to combat irregularities and that, if there are reports of the coup by users, drivers can be punished. However, even with the punishment, some drivers even bought fake accounts to continue picking up passengers and earning money.
2. A nap of R $ 7 thousand
An Uber passenger decided to take a nap during the trip and, when he woke up, he was more than 160 kilometers from his destination and with an account of R $ 7 thousand to pay for the race. The case happened in October in England. The driver, who rode for more than five and a half hours with the sleeper in the car, remained silent throughout the ride. The user had to resort to social media to expose the situation, and Uber said it was working to resolve the case as quickly as possible.
3. Uber started to rebuke inappropriate messages
Uber: conversations between drivers and users will be analyzed if inappropriate words are sent via chat. Photo: Reproduction / Emojipedia
Since April, Uber and Uber Eats have started banning passengers who are sending inappropriate messages through the apps' internal chat. The measure was taken to protect the safety of customers and partners, avoiding any discriminatory, violent, offensive or sexual conduct. Using keywords to identify inappropriate languages, the company began to permanently disable the accounts of people who breached its code of conduct.
4. Most expensive cancellation fee
In July, Uber changed the way it charges the race cancellation fee. Since then, the fare varies according to the time and the distance traveled by the driver from the moment he accepts the trip until the time of cancellation. In most cases, the amount charged must be less than the previous tariff, which was fixed and cost R $ 7. However, in extreme cases, the amount can now jump to R $ 10 in UberX mode.
5. Notification from Procon because of driver
Procon de So Paulo notified Uber in July because of a driver who refused to take a passenger who was accompanied by a co-driver. The user, who has the right to take the animal with her to her destination under federal law 11.126 / 2005, came to talk to a police officer at the time of the driver's denial, but the official said she could do nothing, since the 2005 law and, at that time, the application did not exist.
According to Uber, the platform's Terms of Use ensure that it guarantees the rights of any disabled passenger, and that drivers who do not comply with the rules have their licenses to drive through the application suspended during the investigation.
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