Recently, the topic of online car-hailing drivers charging additional air return fees for passengers has attracted attention. Many passengers reported that when they just got on the bus or were about to arrive at their destination, the ride-hailing driver would inform the passenger that they would have to pay additional fees such as the return trip, and asked the passenger to scan the QR code to pay, and the fee was not displayed in the ride-hailing app. Should passengers pay the return fee? How should online ride-hailing charges be reasonably priced?
Several passengers reported being charged for air returns
At the end of September this year, Ms. Wang, who lives in Chengdu, Sichuan, booked an express bus through a taxi app, and set off from the second ring road to the suburban county to run errands, a total distance of about 49 kilometers. After getting on the bus, the driver told Ms. Wang that because the destination was relatively remote, it was difficult to pull passengers on the return trip, and Ms. Wang needed to pay an additional 80 yuan for air return.
Ms. Wang said that because she was in a hurry to set off at that time, and considering the possibility that the driver would not be able to pull passengers on the return trip, she paid the air return fee.
The reporter learned that there are not many passengers who have similar experiences, mainly concentrated in remote or remote destinations from high-speed rail stations and airports, as well as some cross-city orders, including some online taxi orders. Some passengers said that they called a car at the high-speed rail station, and the driver asked for an air return fee of 150 yuan after getting on the train. Some drivers call passengers ahead of time to ask if they are willing to pay for the flight, while others ask for an additional fee when they are close to their destination.
In general, passengers are reluctant to be charged extra, which has led to a number of complaints. In this regard, online car-hailing drivers also have their own opinions. "Take the cross-city order from Shenzhen to Guangzhou as an example, 120 kilometers one way, 240 kilometers back and forth, if you don't charge a return fee or a high-speed fee, only charge a one-way fare of 300 yuan, what do we earn?"
Is it possible to charge an air return fee for ride-hailing?
Different platforms have different rules
How exactly is the ride-hailing fee priced? Is there a return fee in the fee? According to the Interim Measures for the Administration of Online Taxi Booking Business Services, online ride-hailing platform companies shall reasonably determine the freight rates of online ride-hailing and implement clear pricing. The online car-hailing freight rate shall be subject to market-regulated prices, unless the urban people's government deems it necessary to implement government-guided prices.
The reporter checked several online car-hailing platform apps commonly used on the market and found that some online car-hailing platforms explicitly prohibit drivers from raising prices and bargaining, and for cross-city orders, drivers are prohibited from asking passengers to pay fees other than the order for various reasons; There are also platform regulations that in some cases such as bridges, road crossings, and highway tolls generated in the planned route, drivers can reasonably charge surcharges.
△Different ride-hailing platform apps have different regulations on surcharges
The relevant person in charge of an online car-hailing platform said in an interview that in order to avoid problems such as unreasonable charges and temporary price increases, his platform will open cross-city fee collection for cities with frequent exchanges and more cross-city orders, and the system will automatically calculate the cross-city fee and add it to the bill; In cities where cross-city tolls have not been opened, drivers can negotiate with passengers for the return journey, and the return fee shall not be higher than the actual highway and bridge tolls incurred on the outbound journey; If the passenger encounters the situation of the driver's offline price increase and negotiation, he can report to the platform in time, and the platform will punish the driver according to the rules.
How to regulate the phenomenon of drivers charging air return fees?
Lawyer's suggestion: The platform and the relevant management departments need to work together
Can ride-hailing drivers charge for air returns? In this regard, Liu Manjiang, a lawyer at Beijing Huapei Dequan Law Firm, said that it should be defined according to whether the platform itself has clear rules:
If the platform explicitly prohibits the driver from charging the air return fee, and the driver collects it privately, it is illegal, and the passenger can complain to the driver and make him bear the corresponding responsibility;
If the rules of the platform are vague, the key is whether the driver and the passenger have agreed in advance. If, after negotiation and negotiation, the passenger agrees to pay the return fee, it constitutes a verbal commitment.
In addition, Huang Yuwen, a lawyer at Beijing Deheng (Zhuhai) Law Firm, said that although online ride-hailing platforms are the main body of pricing, they should also actively listen to the opinions of leasing companies or drivers.
How to regulate the phenomenon of drivers charging air return fees? Liu Manjiang suggested that the platform and relevant management departments need to work together:
The platform should formulate an internal management system to regulate the behavior of drivers, and clearly stipulate whether drivers can charge passengers for air return fees for specific trips, as well as the charging standards;
The platform shall specifically inform and remind passengers whether to charge air return fees, and passengers shall choose whether they are willing to accept the service;
Increase the feedback channels for passenger complaints, and if it is verified that the driver does have arbitrary charging behavior, he shall be punished in accordance with the law.
Source: CCTV News