I am sure everyone has ridden with Uber. Whether it was a ride to the supermarket, the train station, the airport, or the cruise terminal, Uber has worked wonders. I’ve ridden with Lyft, too. Having ridden with both ride share companies, I have never had an issue. I haven’t had a problem until this past Friday, April 10th, 2026. Let April 10th be the first and my last bad experience with Uber. I trust that they’re a reputable ride share company. However, the scam I fell victim to this past Friday, better be the only and last one ever. It was a scam to remember, a scam to forget, and potentially a scam with a valuable lesson to be learned.
Friday, April 10th, 2026, I was to Newark Penn Station from my home in northern New Jersey. I was taking the train to Washington, DC on a ‘bleasure’ trip. Thursday night, the 9th, before going to bed I placed my ride pick-up time for 7:15 am. The next morning, both of my bags were packed, locked, and ready. While eating breakfast, I got the notification from Uber that my ride was located for my trip to Newark. The ride request was assigned to my driver, Edgar, in a Ford Explorer. I then received an update that Edgar was just three minutes away from my home. At that moment, I was in the driveway in front of my home, awaiting his arrival. That was the last notification I received regarding my ride. 7:15 had come and gone. I went on the Uber app once again, and checked for further information. There was one. Obviously, Edgar in the Ford Explorer was a no-show. The ride cost me $37.97. I went back on the Uber app and re-requested a ride. That time, Mohamed, in a Chevy Equinox, accepted my ride request. He arrived at my home in less than three minutes. I asked Mohamed if he knew Edgar, curious of whether something had come up and he had to cancel picking me up. Unfortunately, Mohamed didn’t know him. On to Newark we went! While en route to Newark, I called my credit card and disputed the charge of $37.97. We arrived at Newark Penn Station shortly before 8 am. The ride cost me $26.44. My trip to Washington, DC went forward without any further hick-up. Well, so I thought!
Fast-forwarding twelve hours, the plot thickened. While having dinner, I got an Uber notification that Jose was approaching my home to pick me up at 7:15 pm. When I read this, I went “Huh?”. All that went through my mind was “What on earth is going on here?”. I called my family at home. I told my mom about the Uber notification. I asked her to go to the front window and be on the lookout for an Uber car waiting outside. She texted me back saying, “There’s no one outside!”. How can someone accept a ride assignment, and not show up? Further, how does an Uber notification come up that I have a ride request showing up twelve hours too late? I called the driver saying “I requested a ride last night for 7:15 am, and no one showed up”. The driver, Jose, apologized that I didn’t request an Uber ride for 7:15 pm, but for 7:15 am as I had indicated. Jose said, “You can cancel the ride, but you’ll be charged for the sitting time”. That didn’t sit well with me at all. After dinner, I pulled out my cell phone. I called my credit card and disputed the sitting charge of $23.44. Unreal, agree? My day started rough and it ended the same way. At least I got to hang out at my hotel’s bar without being ruffled in the feathers any further. When on business, pleasure, or “bleasure”, no first day of a trip should start and end on a bad note; particularly involving a ride share scam.
Ride-shares are now a household name in our daily lives. Whether we use Uber, Lyft, or both, they work wonders. There’s no need to impose on friends, relatives, or pay pricy limousine companies. Uber has been a God-sent. It’s been highly dependable and at best, reputable. However, what happened on Friday, April 10th, there was no rhyme, reason, nor excuse for the scam I was subjected to. For an advance ride request to be a no-show, then re-requesting a ride at my own expense, getting notified of a ride request twelve hours later, and having to cancel yet paying a sitting time charge is preposterous. It’s above and beyond a “comedy of errors”. It’s a “tragedy of blunders”. Has this happened to any Uber riders? If yes, they have good company. From now on, it’s best to request a ride as soon as they’re ready. As long as there’s a driver nearby, there should not be any problem. Everyone deserves to get to their destinations without any inconvenience. Everyone deserves to get to their destination at ease. Uber and Lyft dually should nip this unacceptable nonsense to avoid further unsatisfactory experiences. Let it be said; one scam is one scam too many.