Uber driver charged £561 for two airport drop offs as he issues warning to others

An Uber driver has issued a warning after shockingly being charged an eye-watering £561 for two brief drop-offs at Newcastle Airport.

Trevor Storey, 63, got a shock when he discovered he'd been billed £253 instead of the typical £4 fee following a customer drop-off on April 14 - a mistake he failed to clock due to lack of receipt. It only came to light after a subsequent charge of £308 just days later attracted attention from his bank.

He then swiftly got in touch with airport authorities who explained that missing exit timings on both occasions caused the escalated costs. Airport chiefs told Chronicle Live there are occasions when the automatic number plate recognition systems cannot read a vehicle's registration plate, which can include poor weather or number plate inconsistencies.

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Trevor said: "I work for Uber and everything is done by card, I don't handle any cash. I swiped my card and they don't give a receipt a lot of the time. The first time it was £253, then on April 19 I dropped someone off and Uber gave me another job at the airport so I swiped my card again.

"I got a receipt but just assumed it would be for £4. But when I finished I was contacted by my bank and there was a new transaction for £308 and I looked and I did have a charge.

"I phoned the bank and explained what had happened, but they said they couldn't stop the transaction and I would need to speak to the airport. When I was speaking to the guy on the phone he said 'Do you realise they did the same to you on April 14 and took £253'."

Trevor, a taxi driver with 25 years of experience, reached out to the airport, which promptly refunded his money. He recounted: "They said my exit had been missed on two occasions. The woman was very quick to arrange for the money to be refunded."

However, he is concerned that this issue might affect others who may not notice and wants to raise awareness. He expressed his worry: "I do my banking once a month so it would have come to light then. But imagine the amount of people this could happen to and they wouldn't realise.

"It could have been someone's last pound that they took and left them with nothing, if they had bills to pay. It would cause a lot of hassle, stress and anxiety. The airport won't get in touch with people to say they have been overcharged."

A spokeswoman for Newcastle International Airport acknowledged such errors are not unique to their facility but can occur at any car park using ANPR systems. She said: "As with all automatic number plate recognition systems, occasionally a vehicle's registration plate cannot be read - this is often due to poor weather or number plate inconsistencies.

"In this case, the system traced the previous time of entry to the car park to determine the charge. Should an incorrect payment amount display on the barrier, we advise passengers to use the intercom to contact a member of the car parking team who will be more than happy to assist."