Regulated by TfL

How to complain to Uber

Ride-hailing sits across two regimes. The commercial relationship, meaning the fare, the cancellation charge and the service, is ordinary consumer contract law. Driver conduct, vehicle condition and licensing are a matter for the licensing authority, which in London is Transport for London and elsewhere is the local council.

The rights that apply when you complain to Uber

Uber is a UK private hire and ride-hailing operator, so the rules below are the ones that decide your complaint. Each is named, because a letter that cites the specific rule is handled by a different team to one that does not.

The service must be carried out with reasonable care and skill, and where it is not you can claim a repeat performance or a price reduction. Consumer Rights Act 2015, sections 49, 55 and 56
Where no price was agreed in advance, the price must be reasonable. A fare that departs materially from what the app quoted is challengeable. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 51
A charge taken without your authority, including a cancellation or cleaning fee you did not agree to, is an unauthorised payment. Your bank must refund it by the end of the next business day after you report it. Payment Services Regulations 2017, regulations 75 and 76
Private hire operators, drivers and vehicles must be licensed. In London that is Transport for London; elsewhere it is the district or borough council. Conduct and safety complaints go to the licensing authority after the operator. Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 and the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976
A term allowing the operator to charge an unspecified sum after the journey, without a clear basis, may be unfair and unenforceable. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 62

The deadlines that decide your claim

Report a disputed charge quickly

The unauthorised payment protections in the Payment Services Regulations require notification without undue delay and in any event within 13 months of the debit.

Licensing complaints have no fixed deadline

But evidence goes stale fast. Report driver conduct and vehicle safety issues to the licensing authority within days, while dashcam and app records still exist.

What to put in the letter to Uber

Complaints teams work from a script. The detail below is what moves a case off that script and onto the desk of someone who can authorise a remedy.

The trip ID, the date and time, and the driver or vehicle identifier, which is what lets the operator retrieve the record at all.
The quoted fare and the fare actually charged, screenshotted.
For a post-trip charge such as a cleaning fee, a request for the evidence relied on, including photographs and their metadata.
What you want: the charge reversed, and where conduct is involved, confirmation that it has been referred to the licensing authority.

If Uber says no, or says nothing

Escalate to Transport for London, or your local licensing authority.

When you can go: After you have raised it with the operator, or immediately where safety is involved.

How long you have: No fixed limit, but complaints are far more effective while the operator still holds the trip records.

What it costs: Free to you.

Whether it binds Uber: A licensing authority cannot order a refund. It regulates the operator’s licence, which is a different and often more effective kind of pressure. For the money itself, use your bank or the small claims court.

Worth knowing before you start

The licensing authority handles conduct and safety, not your fare. If what you want is money back, the effective routes are the operator’s own process, then a chargeback or unauthorised payment claim through your bank, then the county court. Reporting to TfL is worth doing on its own merits but it will not refund you.

Common questions

I was charged a cleaning fee I do not accept. What can I do?

Ask the operator for the evidence, including the photographs and when they were taken. Then, if you did not agree to the charge, tell your bank it was an unauthorised payment. Under regulation 76 of the Payment Services Regulations 2017 the bank must refund an unauthorised payment by the end of the next business day, and under regulation 75 the burden of proving you authorised it sits with the payment provider, not with you.

The fare was far higher than the quote. Is that allowed?

Where a price was quoted and accepted, that is the contract price, and a materially higher charge needs a contractual basis such as a route change you requested. Where no price was agreed, section 51 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires the price to be reasonable. Screenshot the quote, ask the operator for the fare breakdown, and dispute the difference rather than the whole fare.

Who do I report an unsafe driver to?

The operator first, then the licensing authority. In London that is Transport for London, which licenses private hire operators, drivers and vehicles. Outside London it is the district or borough council that issued the licence. Give the trip ID, the date and time, and the vehicle registration. The authority cannot get your money back, but it can act on the licence, which is the sanction operators actually respond to.

Where this comes from

Every rule on this page is drawn from primary legislation, a regulator, or an approved dispute resolution scheme. Check them yourself.

Paybacker is not a law firm and this is not legal advice. It is a summary of the published rules that apply to a private hire and ride-hailing operator, so that you can put your own case properly. For a dispute of real value, or anything turning on facts unique to you, speak to a solicitor or Citizens Advice.

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