Uber Responds After Driver Demands Car Cleaning Charges After His Child Dropped Some Food Particles In The Vehicle

India has seen a radical change in urban mobility over the past ten years, mostly due to the growth of app-based taxi services like Ola and Uber. With a few smartphone touches, these platforms provided convenience, affordability, and safety, revolutionizing transportation. However, as the sector grew, cracks appeared, exposing more serious problems that jeopardize the initial promise of these services.

Customer complaints, driver protests, and regulatory issues started to increase over time. Although safety was once a major selling factor, there have been increasing allegations of overcharging and driver misconduct. While most of the companies have redressal processes, many people think these are slow or do not work well. One such instance recently surfaced on social media when a user voiced worry over unexpected cleaning fees.

Mint

Uber driver charges a car cleaning fee to the customer

On 3rd May, an X user named Rakesh sparked debate online on the social media platform by revealing that he was asked to pay a car cleaning charge by a Uber cab driver. In his post, he mentioned that some baby food particles fell when he was traveling with his child. For this reason, the driver overcharged under the guise of dirtying the vehicle. In his post, he wrote

Hello @Uber_India do we need to pay the car cleaning charge also ? What other hidden charge a driver can ask ? My driver asked cleaning charges just because I was traveling with my kid and some baby food particles got dropped in vehicle.

Hello @Uber_India do we need to pay the car cleaning charge also ? What other hidden charge a driver can ask ? My driver asked cleaning charges just because I was traveling with my kid and some baby food particles got dropped in vehicle.

— Rakesh (@Rakesh01861478) May 3, 2025

How has Uber responded to his post?

Soon, the official X account of Uber responded to Rakesh’s post, asking for more details about what happened. In their reply, Uber wrote,

Hi Rakesh, this is definitely not the kind of experience we would like you to have. Please send across your registered details along with the trip details via Direct Message, we’ll get this addressed at the earliest.

Hi Rakesh, this is definitely not the kind of experience we would like you to have. Please send across your registered details along with the trip details via Direct Message, we’ll get this addressed at the earliest. https://t.co/1WqzzOmdKe

— Uber India Support (@UberIN_Support) May 3, 2025

What does Uber say about the cleaning fee policy?

The official Uber website states that a driver may request a cleaning fee if a passenger dirties or damages the car. This fee can be paid to the driver and charged to the passenger.

However, there is a procedure that each driver must adhere to in order to receive the compensation.

First, the first driver is obligated to notify the company of the problem within three days of the trip, along with pictures, a description of the mess, and a receipt if professional cleaning was necessary. Following this, Uber will examine the receipt and pictures to assess the level of mess and the ideal cleaning expense. After the approval, the driver can get a cleaning fee.

However, it seems that the driver in the above tweet is at fault because he asked the passenger for a cleaning fee directly without informing Uber of the situation or following the platform’s procedures. It means Rakesh was right to raise concerns publicly.

The Guardian

Meanwhile, this is not the first time that cab drivers have tried to do these kinds of scams with customers. Incidents like these are happening everywhere. While some cases got attention, others didn’t even register because of customers’ ignorance.

What do you think about these incidents? Do share your thoughts with us in the comment section of this article.