As Swifties were enjoying their favourite’s sell-out concerts in Liverpool, hikes in taxi fares and mid-trip increases left many passengers feeling they had been taken advantage of.
Taylor Swift’s concerts were a huge success and thousands of fans flocked to the city’s Anfield stadium to see their idol. Many queued for hours in pouring rain to get as close to the singer as they could and left the show after enjoying an unforgettable experience.
Surge in prices
But the nights ended on a sour note for many because of the cost of fares to and from the stadium, including mid-trip increases after prices had been secured using taxi booking apps.
Everyone accepts that prices fluctuate with supply and demand, such as taxi fares increasing late at night and during weekends and bank holidays.
Even then, passengers will ask taxi drivers up front what the likely fare will be, or, if using booking apps such as Uber, they request a ride and the driver accepts it based on the agreed price.
So for passengers to find £20 and £30 being added to their fares mid trip, it is understandable they are unhappy. Taxi Point reports that many passengers were furious at what they described as “exorbitant” Uber fares for rides to and from the venue.
‘Daylight robbery’
It reported that Liverpool resident and Swiftie Lisa said: “Only downside of the Liverpool Taylor show yesterday was the lack of taxis. Took us an hour to get an Uber then they charged me £37 when they said it was only £22. Daylight robbery.”
Fellow fan Natalie had a similar experience and said: “I got charged £53 on Uber from the city to Anfield. They actually tried to get £81 out of me, but I demanded a refund on their supposed mid-trip fare increase.”
Taxi Point also quotes an X user, who posted on the social media platform: “I see businesses in Liverpool are cashing in on the Taylor Swift thing. Extortionate hotel prices and Uber charging £60+ for taxis from Liverpool City Centre to Anfield as opposed to £2 on the bus.”
Another fan was charged £31.96 for a ride from Lime Street train station to Anfield Stadium, wishing they had jumped in a taxi instead. They said: “Seriously, this is a joke. Lime Street Station to Anfield by Uber. Get a cab.”
Algorithm
While passengers are unhappy about the hike in fares, Taxi Point says it is down to Uber’s surge pricing model. This means that “when demand for rides exceeds the number of available drivers, Uber’s algorithm increases fares to attract more drivers to the area. This dynamic pricing system aims to balance supply and demand, ensuring that riders can still get a car, albeit at a higher cost.”
From Uber’s point of view, this encourages drivers to operate in busy areas when they are needed, compensating them for picking up fewer fares. If they choose to operate in a quieter part of the city and pick up more fares during their shift, it would put even more demand on the drivers operating near Anfield.
While in situations such as this a passenger might expect to pay over the odds for a short journey, if they agree to pay £50 for it, they have made that choice. It is completely different to agree the £50 fee and then try to charge them £80 or £90 when they reach their destination.
