SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – Uber is warning drivers about the new rules for cancellation and waiting time in Brazil, according to Metro newspaper: if passengers cancel the trip before the car arrives, the amount will take into account the distance already traveled. And if the driver has already reached the destination, a fee will be charged after two (or five) minutes of wait.
The rules of the cancellation fee were in force since July in cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, and Florianópolis; they became effective in other cities, such as São Paulo and Belo Horizonte. In turn, the additional waiting fee has been extended to the whole of Brazil since September 4th.
It works like this: suppose you called an Uber, it reached your location, but it took you more than 2 minutes – or 5 minutes, depending on the city – to get to the pickup point. In this case, an additional fee will be charged for the waiting time at the end of your trip.
In São Paulo, the rates are R$0.26 per minute on Uber Together and UberX; and R$0.28 per minute on Uber Select and Black. “The cost of waiting time is exactly the same as the rate per minute on trips,” explained Uber in August.
After the trip, this amount will show up on your receipt as “Waiting time”. The app alerts users through a notification: “after 2 minutes, the waiting time will be charged”.
Uber charges varying cancellation fees
What if the passenger cancels after the driver accepts the trip? In this case, the cancellation fee takes into account the distance traveled and the time spent. It will be charged only if passengers cancel after three minutes (one minute in the case of Uber Together). In addition, clients will be exempt if Uber detects that the driver is not traveling to their location.
The fee depends on the category chosen; these are the rates in São Paulo:
- UberX and Uber Together: R$ 1.40 per kilometer, R$ 0.26 per minute
- Uber Select: R$ 1.53 per kilometer, R$ 0.28 per minute
- Uber Black: R$ 2.32 per kilometer, R$ 0.28 per minute
This rate has minimum and maximum limitd depending on the category; in São Paulo, they are:
- Uber Together: R$ 2,50 to R$ 7,00
- UberX and Uber Select: R$ 4.50 to R$ 12.00
- Uber Black: R$ 6.00 to R$ 15.50
The rule is different if the driver cancels after arriving at the location and waits more than three minutes (two minutes in the case of Uber Together). In this case, the rate is fixed: R$3.50 (US$0.88) in Uber Together, R$6 in UberX and R$7.50 in Uber Black.
“If the passenger does not show up, the driver can cancel the trip as usual and the cancellation fee will be charged,” Uber explains. “In this case, the waiting time will not be charged.”
And for those who don’t live in São Paulo?
It is possible to check the cancellation fees and waiting fee on Uber’s website. Access the price calculator, perform a trip simulation in your city, and click on the categories to learn about the fees.
In the table, under “Cancellations”, you will find:
- the user’s cancellation fee, charged when the driver cancels after waiting;
- the standard cancellation fee initiated by the user, which is the minimum amount charged if the passenger cancels;
- the per-minute and per-kilometer charge if the passenger cancels;
- the additional amount for waiting time (in the small print at the bottom).
For instance, in Rio de Janeiro, the additional fee for waiting time is R$0.15 per minute on UberX. If passengers cancel, the minimum fee is R$2, taking into account the distance already traveled (R$1.40/km) and the time spent by the driver (R$0.15/min). If drivers cancel after waiting, the fee is fixed at R$5.