Overcharging by Uber taxi cabs in Chennai

WHENEVER WE HAVE HIRED Uber cabs in Bangalore, Bombay, Calcutta, and Hyderabad, we have always paid the amount quoted on the Uber app when making the booking: no more and no less. During a recent visit to Chennai (Madras) in January 2025, we ordered several Uber cabs, and each time experienced the same thing.

The first Uber cab we ordered arrived, and the driver asked us how much we had been quoted. When we told him, he said he would take us only if we paid an amount he mentioned, which was greatly in excess of the fare quoted on the app. On subsequent occasions, we ordered Uber cabs using the app and each time the driver telephoned us before he arrived. Each driver wanted to know the price of the fare on the app. And each time we told the driver the amount, he replied that he would only pick us up if we agreed to pay the higher fare he quoted. We were most surprised by this, but a friend in Chennai seemed to think that there was nothing unusual about what we were experiencing.

I suppose the Uber drivers in Chennai are charging a surcharge to cover what the Uber company deducts from them as a commission.