Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Latest

Uber Is Allegedly Charging Users Based On … Battery Level

The ride-sharing giant was accused anew by some users of adjusting rates depending on the user’s battery level. Uber (NYSE: UBER) has firmly denied the connection between battery level and pricing but has not satisfactorily explained price differences for identical journeys.

The theory was tested by the Belgian newspaper Dernière Heure. They booked a ride from their office in Brussels to a nearby ferry terminal using two smartphones, one with 84% battery and the other with just 12%. The trip with more battery was significantly cheaper at €16.60 ($18.10) versus €17.56 ($19.16) for the phone with just 12% battery remaining.

Uber has firmly denied this accusation, saying that the app is not able to detect the user’s battery level.

“Uber does not take into account the phone’s battery level to calculate the price of a trip,” Uber said in a statement to Dernière Heure. “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.”

In 2016, Keith Chen, who was at the time Uber’s head of economic research, appeared on an episode of NPR’s Hidden Brain podcast and shared that the company found that people are more willing to pay surge pricing when their phone is about to die.

“And we absolutely don’t use that to kind of like push you a higher surge price, but it’s an interesting kind of psychological fact of human behavior,” he said.


Information for this story was found via Brussels Times, NPR, and the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.

Video Articles

Fortune Bay: The Potential Billion Dollar Project

Japan Gold Enters New Chapter as Barrick Alliance Concludes – John Proust

Barrick Mining’s “Company Defining [Gold] Discovery”

Recommended

Nord Precious Metals Produces High Grade Silver Concentrate From Tailings

ESGold Secures $9 Million In Non-Dilutive Funding From Ocean Partners

Related News

Uber Adjusts (For Investors)

Last week, this space covered a first quarter earnings report from Uber Inc. (NYSE: UBER)...

Wednesday, May 18, 2022, 01:30:00 PM

Elon Musk Comments That “No Contract Has Been Signed Yet” With Hertz

At this point it’s become widely known that Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) last week crested the...

Tuesday, November 2, 2021, 09:40:02 AM

Uber: Consensus Q2 Estimates Point To $3.74 Billion In Revenue

Uber (NYSE: UBER) will be reporting its second quarter financial results after the market close...

Wednesday, August 4, 2021, 02:02:00 PM

Uber Announces it will be Further Reducing its Workforce by 3,000 Employees

It appears that the coronavirus pandemic has been hitting the travel industry exceptionally hard. Earlier...

Wednesday, May 20, 2020, 01:39:00 PM

Ride-Hailing Falling: Uber, Lyft Plummet After Reporting Disappointing Q1 2022 Financials

Lyft, Inc. (Nasdaq: LYFT) released on Tuesday its Q1 2022 financials while Uber Technologies, Inc....

Wednesday, May 4, 2022, 12:21:00 PM