The journey from Birmingham airport usually costs about £18-£20 . It was even that on Boxing day.

last night we landed near midnight and used Uber- the quote I accepted was £18-20 but when the charge came through it was £25 . Clearly the taxi driver had his sat nave set up for the longest journey as instead of straight up the A45 we went M42 , M6, A47, then picked up the ring road.

So I complained to be told tough it is within out range - it was not in the range of the quote

Question is, for £25 can I put a complaint into the credit card company?

I would have happily paid the £20 but now we will go back to our regular taxi firm and stuff uber

I wanted to share the bad service with anyone who cares to read it.

Incidentally i did another enquiry as soon as we got in and it was quoting £15-£18

Nope. AS you paid for the length of journey he took you on. If anything, youd need to file a complaint with uber and seek recompense through them.

IF YOUR APP IS DISPLAYING FARES

By selecting the vehicle option icon you prefer, you agree to be charged the displayed fare when you arrive at your destination. Tap the black REQUEST button to accept the fare and request a ride.

Trip fares are based on factors that include estimated time and distance to your destination. Fees and surcharges are also included. The fare you are actually charged may increase if your trip takes longer than expected. Extra stops on a trip, changing the destination, or making a driver wait several minutes at your pickup location can also add to your fare.

Fares displayed in your app vary based on current demand for rides near your pickup location. Your app may notify you that fares are higher than usual. You can wait a few minutes and check fares again. If demand has decreased or more drivers are available, fares may go down.

It depends. My grandfather was a London cabbie.

Going from Heathrow to North North London was notorious for complaints : the M25 (if not 'bunged up'!) was faster but longer, while the North Circular was less mileage but slower....

His solution : ask if they had a preferred route, and if not, set out the options and ask which they elected to choose.

It also depends on where you are headed.

One of the (rough) "equivalence" points (at least, according to TomTom!) is Saltley Gate Service Station in Saltley.

25 mins and 9.4 miles via the A45, 21 mins and 14.3 miles via the M6.

At 10p/ minute, £1/ Mile, the M6 route is £4.50 more, but it depends how important the quicker journey is for the passenger.

Of course, if your destination is much closer to the M6, or closer to the A45 then YMMV (literally!)

Headed to the Barton Arms for a decent pint & some Thai food?

(Well, maybe not at midnight, but it does for an example ....)

18 mins, 13.6 miles via the M6, 26 mins, 11.2 miles via the A45 : £1.60 more for the M6 but 8 mins quicker...

What mileage (and estimated journey time) is there for the 2 routes to your destination? Is the M6 route quicker (even if longer!)?

Hi

After sending screen shots of the estimates from here to the airport and the airport to the here , and not taking no for an answer, Uber have come up trumps and done a partial refund which i am more than happy with.

I would agree with Bazza , the best way would have been to ask if I had a preferred route but to an extent I feel taxi drivers should know the area and the best way- if they know there is a problem explain if possible why the route is different

If you use AA maps the route via spaghetti is 2 mins quicker but substantially longer however what made it worse was that Spaghetti was shut so had to come off at J5 M6 and then up into Brum via A47 , left towards the Blues ground (Bordesley Circus) then pick up the ring road towards pershore Rd

Clearly that is only of use to people who know Brum like Bazza

Thing was, I have been to the airport countless times both driving and taxi and the fastest route, at any time of day is via A45 - problem with Uber is that drivers who do not know the area come into the airport

It was a shame as it just put a downer on a wonderful holiday in Split , Croatia amongst the blistering heat. We had used Uber in Split and it had worked perfectly