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Uber has admitted to mistakingly charging Brisbane riders for a non-existent toll over the weekend while fees for the Go Between Bridge were temporarily suspended.
- The toll was waived from Friday to Monday
- Uber initially told a customer they would not refund the toll
- The rideshare eventually refunded when shown evidence of toll being waived
The $3.55 toll had been waived for travel on the bridge between Milton and South Brisbane from last Friday to Monday morning to "minimise disruption" from the closure of the nearby William Jolly Bridge for maintenance.
Justin Nicholas was furious after discovering he was automatically charged the toll on Saturday night.
"My partner ordered an Uber to go to West End for dinner … and the driver on the way in, said, 'I'm going to take you across the Go Between Bridge because the tolls have been removed for the weekend due to upgrades of infrastructure in the area'," Mr Nicholas said.
He said their driver on the way home said the same thing, indicating Uber was aware of the tolling change.
"I received the receipt yesterday morning and saw my partner and I – and several of our friends who were at dinner – had all been charged the toll," he said.
Mr Nicholas said he contacted Uber to report the error and was initially told he would not be refunded.
"[Uber was] basically schooling me on tolls, what they are, why they're charged and that I have a choice as a rider to accept – or not accept – a tolled route," he said.
Once he provided evidence of the toll being waived, Uber agreed to refund him.
"Someone I know hasn't yet requested a fee to be refunded because we're waiting to see if they automatically do it – and they have not refunded the fee," Mr Nicholas said.
Mr Nicholas is worried other passengers were caught out too and is urging them to check their receipts.
"Imagine how many thousands of people they may have done this to," Mr Nicholas said.
A Brisbane City Council spokesperson confirmed tolls were waived on the weekend from 11:00pm on Friday to 5:00am on Monday.
In a statement, an Uber spokesperson said they "weren't aware" of waived toll fees on the Go Between Bridge between 26-29 May.
"Riders were automatically charged a toll fee on these trips," the spokesperson said.
"We're working to refund all riders impacted and apologise for any inconvenience caused."
They said those impacted will be automatically refunded in the next few days.