A woman has raised concerns after the Uber ride she ordered was hijacked by another taxi firm - and she has no idea how it happened.
Alice Vinten was waiting for an Uber to pick her up from her home in Southend on Saturday.
She recalled: “As I saw the car was approaching my road I went outside to wait.
“I hadn’t paid much attention to the make of the car the Uber app said was coming - a mistake I won’t be making again.
“I saw some headlights were coming up the road - slowly like they were looking for an address - and then when the car got to me I saw that it was a taxi and the driver nodded at me so I got in.”
At this point, Alice assumed she had got into the Uber she had ordered.
She added: “I then got a call on my mobile.
“It was the guy from Uber who said he was outside my house.
“I asked the driver of the car I was in if he was an Uber and he got almost confrontational saying ‘No I am a licensed taxi thank you very much’.
“I wanted to ask how he had picked me up by mistake, but as he had already been standoffish I didn’t.
“Luckily I had some cash on me to pay him at the end of the journey but then was also charged £5 by Uber for not turning up to my taxi which was fair enough.”
Uber has refunded the cancellation fee as a good will gesture and would like to remind customers of the importance of checking their vehicle’s details before getting in the car.
It is unclear how a taxi managed to intercept an Uber passenger.
Alice added: “I’m concerned that a taxi driver has somehow been able to intercept my Uber order.
“Twice in the last few months I have been confronted by angry taxi drivers, telling me I shouldn’t be using Uber.
“I know there’s a serious dislike of Uber drivers by taxis - but customers should not be dragged into the middle of it. It’s not our issue.
“As a female who often gets taxis alone, late at night, I have never had an issue with Uber.
“It’s my choice to use them and it’s unacceptable for taxis to be trying to trick people into using them instead.”
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