Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India, is currently on high alert due to heavy overnight rains on Monday. It triggered severe waterlogging and traffic snarls across the city, leaving residents stranded and struggling to book cabs and autorickshaws to commute. Amid the chaos, Uber, the popular cab-hailing service app, is being questioned for charging extremely high fares from passengers.

Taking to X, a user shared his shocking experience of booking a cab via Uber for a mere 12km distance. He slammed the app, calling them ‘Mafias’ for charging him high fares during the heavy rainfall, as he and his family were stuck in the rain with a small kid.

Sharing a screenshot of the prices shown in the application, the user wrote, “Why such high prices? @Uber_India If a family is stuck in the rain with a small kid, is this what we expect from you? This is beyond shameless monopoly and utter nonsense. For 12 km in rain, how much can you charge? Humanity is lost. Bangalore traffic and then these mafias.”

Going by the picture, for a 12km ride in Bengaluru, the app was showing a fare of Rs 1314 for the UberXL, while the basic UberGo was charging Rs 810 and Uber Premiere at Rs 967. The Uber Go Sedan, on the other hand, costs Rs 826.

In no time, the comment section was flooded with reactions from several users. While many lashed out at the company for high prices, others said it was ‘justified.’

An X user commented, “This is a normal thing for @Uber_India @rapidobikeapp in rain, they keep increasing the prices, they have no shame in hiking prices which are not at all justifiable, and the sad part is the govt is not even looking into these things.” Another one wrote, “Boycott Uber.”

A person came in support of the company and shared, “Do you know how much traffic jam is? The driver has to pass through all of these. Since no one is willing to come, hence the price fluctuations. Ask the government, not the company.” A comment reads, “It’s 19km, man, takes more than an hour plus rain, price is justified.”

According to the authorities, the city might see some more pre-monsoon showers due to cyclonic formations over the Andaman Sea. Due to the heavy rainfall and flooded roads, many tech companies have asked their employees to work from home.

Notably, Bengaluru’s cab prices have been a topic of discussion, and recent government laws aimed to establish a more standard and stable fare structure. The city’s reputation for high taxi fares, especially in the ride-sharing industry, is due to factors such as heavy traffic, which can increase travel time and distance, and the dynamic pricing models used by certain apps.

Last year, the Karnataka transport department implemented the One City, One Fare policy, which aims to standardise taxi pricing throughout the city, including those provided by ride-hailing applications such as Ola and Uber.