Uber's driver waiting time charges start rolling out to more countries

Uber is starting to charge riders if they keep their drivers waiting too long.

The new charge, which started on Wednesday in Singapore, will start the clock three minutes after the driver arrives, if the rider isn't there yet.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

And during a surge, the wait time will be inflated accordingly.

In Singapore, tardy UberX riders will be charged S$0.20 ($0.15) per minute. For XL, Exec and ExecLarge rides, the charges are S$0.35 ($0.26), S$0.45 ($0.33)and S$0.60 ($0.44), respectively.

UberPool isn't part of the programme yet.

The new charges come months after Uber started doing this in U.S. cities such as New York City, New Jersey, Phoenix and Dallas.

The U.S. penalty, which started in April, starts the clock ticking sooner -- at the two-minute mark.

The changes also hit India in August, with a more generous five-minute waiting time. The UK, which started in the same month, only offers riders two minutes, and Egypt started a similar policy most recently in September.

Naturally, the new charges in Singapore weren't welcomed by riders.

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Some in other countries have pointed out that these charges open a possible avenue for driver abuse.

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The new charges are part of Uber's efforts to mend relationships with disgruntled drivers. Since drivers are part of its user base (and aren't employees, as they would be with traditionally structured businesses), Uber needs to keep riders and drivers happy on both sides of the fence.

We can only imagine how much harder it'll be on Uber's customer service officers.