Australians will soon have to pay more for Uber with the ride-sharing service about to introduce a new booking fee and hike its minimum fares.
From June 9 passengers will be slugged an additional 55 cent fee and face increased minimum fares in all major cities.
The increase will cover “operational” costs, an Uber spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.
“Following recent roundtable listening discussions with driver-partners … we heard that an important improvement Uber could make to the driving experience would be increasing the minimum fare,” the spokesperson told AAP.
Minimum fares will increase to $9 including the booking fee in Sydney. They'll jump to $7.50 in Melbourne and Brisbane while in Adelaide and Perth the new minimum will be $7.
The booking fee will be paid by customers to the drivers who'll then pass on 50 cents to Uber with the drivers keeping five cents to remit to the Australian Taxation Office.
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"There is no negative impact on the total amount a driver-partner receives for each trip," the Uber spokesperson said on Monday.
The booking fee will appear on passengers' receipts at the end of each trip.