Aussie man's shock after scoring $42 Uber ride for free - and he's not the only one
It appeared 'too good to be true' for one man who saw his trip slashed to zero.
Aussies using Uber this week were shocked to discover the cost of their trip wiped clear. Instead of paying $42 to travel home on Thursday afternoon, one Melburnian travelled for free.
"It seems too good to be true," he shared online convinced it was a "glitch". But it wasn't, and he wasn't the only lucky commuter, Uber confirmed to Yahoo News Australia.
The man booked a vehicle ahead of time using Uber Reserve which allows people to book a ride up to 90 days in advance. He jumped in at Marshal train station in Geelong and made the journey to Barwon Heads, some 17 kilometres away.
"I’ve just booked it, got a notification and a confirmation email and it says $0," he said on Reddit on Thursday, questioning the cheaper price. "I’ve caught Uber many times," he added suggesting it's the first time this has happened.
Uber customers shocked by free rides
Others revealed they too managed to score a free ride. "Happened to me yesterday, took it and ran," one person admitted.
"This happened to me for about 2 weeks, I got around $300-400$ worth of Ubers. All for free," another claimed. "Didn’t know why but, hey, thanks Uber," they added.
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Uber details promo offering free rides to customers
An Uber spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo the free trips were part of a promotion for Uber Reserve.
"Earlier this week, Uber released a bargain deal for riders to claim up to $100 dollars off their first Reserve ride," they said on Friday. "If you missed out on this week’s bonanza, keep your eyes peeled for future deals from in-app Uber notifications and emails".
The book now, ride later feature provides an upfront locked-in price, "so riders can travel with certainty" the company said of the feature which first launched in 2021.
It comes after an announcement last year that Uber and taxi passengers will be hit with fare increases.
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