£96 FOR 15-MIN UBER RIDE: Knebworth partygoers shocked at prices to leave concert
Updated: Jun 8, 2022
Partygoers watching Liam Gallagher at Knebworth over the weekend were shocked to see the price of Uber vehicles after struggling to head home from the gig.
Music legend Liam Gallagher played the iconic music venue for two nights, returning to the place where Oasis played in 1996.
Whilst the gig itself was enjoyed by all, the journeys away from Knebworth were problematic for some.
One person who attended was charged £96 for a 15-minute Uber journey to the nearby Holiday Inn Hotel. Miss Bettsy, a Ska singer for UK band The Skatonics, said: “Shameful that Uber charged us £96 for a 15 min cab ride (normally £16 according to driver) and Holiday Inn still had rooms available at 2am - but only for the price of £500! Lots of people couldn’t get or stay anywhere!”
Bettsy added: “My reply to Uber ‘We walked around for 3 hours trying to find another option other than pay it. Our other option was to freeze to death in a bush or walk home via the motorway. I understand trying to cash in on an event, but making prices 6x higher is a bit of a p**s take’.”
Ellis Watson also had a big Uber bill after the event. He said via social media: “Walked a marathon at 1am. Lost best mate, he walks to Luton(phone dead). I walked somewhere else, got lost no signal. £160+ Uber.”
Another party goer called Paul said: “Watching Uber stick prices up from £35 to £100 because of demand in front of your eyes! Shocking!”
Another party goer, Lee Perry, played it slightly differently and committed to a 2-mile walk to Stevenage Football Club to request a Uber ride back to their hotel.
Why do Uber prices rise?
There are times when so many people are requesting trips that there aren’t enough cars on the road to help take them all. Bad weather, rush hour and special events, like the one at Knebworth, may cause unusually large numbers of people to want to request a trip with Uber all at the same time.
In these cases of very high demand, prices may increase to help ensure that those who need a driver can get one. This system is called surge pricing.
Whenever rates are raised due to surge pricing, the Uber app lets riders know. Some riders will choose to pay, while some will choose to wait a few minutes to see if the rates go back down.
