Uber Refunding Riders Hit With City Congestion Fee …CHICAGO — Uber customers who were wrongfully charged city congestion fees are now getting their money back.

The rideshare company has begun issuing refunds to customers who were errantly hit with the city’s $1.50 congestion surcharge for rides to and from Downtown. Uber added the surcharge outside of the city’s designated 6 a.m.-10 p.m. window in what the company called an “internal error.”

The extra charges have been levied since January, according to the company.

The refunds appeared on Uber receipts and directly hit bank accounts for cards used to pay for rides outside the surcharge time window. In some cases, Uber sent messages to riders with the header “Just a quick update.”

“You took a ride for which you were incorrectly charged a Chicago Congestion Surcharge due to technical issues on our end,” the Uber message reads. “We have corrected the error and refunded the incorrectly charged amount to the original payment method of this trip.”

Uber promised refunds last week after Block Club began asking questions about the surcharges.

But customers said they had previously reached out to the company about the discrepancy, and a spokesperson with the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection said they received a 311 complaint about “ride-hail overcharges” in early April.

Uber has yet to answer questions about how much in refunds is owed overall and to how many riders.

“We have begun to issue refunds via the original payment method on file,” Uber spokesman Josh Gold said in a statement Tuesday. “If that is unsuccessful, we will try to process the refund using an alternative method.”

The city’s business department spokesperson also declined to say how much Uber owes customers, saying the issue was not under the department’s purview.

Gold previously told Block Club that the overcharges had already been collected and sent to the city.

The Downtown surcharge tax — intended to ease congestion during high-traffic hours in an extensive area roughly between North Avenue and Roosevelt Road — was passed in 2020. It was expanded this year to cover rides on weekends. The expansion is expected to raise an extra $8 million for the city in 2025, according to city budget documents.

Gabe Conway, a Gold Coast resident, believes Uber owes her $3 for two late-night trips, but has only gotten half her refund so far.

“For me it’s more the principal of it,” Conway said. “The fault mainly lies on Uber for keeping those extra charges on in the first place. I think it’s pretty shady. Whether the city knew they were receiving the extra funds, that’s still a question.”

Reuben Lopez, who said he calls Ubers for a convenient ride home late at night, got his $6 back from Uber Tuesday.

“I didn’t have to send in a request, so I appreciate they went on their way to fix it themselves, but I don’t think they would’ve done it if someone didn’t bring it up,” Lopez said. “I’m going to try not to spend it all in one place.”

More than 40 people have reached out to Block Club since last week saying they’ve been overcharged the congestion fee, with one rider believing they were owed $48 in total for trips home from work after 10 p.m.

Ald. Bill Conway (34th), whose ward includes the city’s Downtown Zone, said the rideshare company should say how much it owes back overall.

“It’s unacceptable for Uber to overcharge Chicagoans, particularly amidst the rising cost of living and transportation in the city,” Conway said. “BACP has not provided me with additional information at this time, but Uber owes it to Chicagoans to make this right promptly and transparently.”

The alderman has no relation to Gabe Conway.

The city’s business department confirmed last week it has opened an investigation into ridesharing overcharges.

Chicago raised around $200 million last year from “ground transportation” taxes, according to city budget documents.

Uber ended last year with its “strongest quarter ever,” claiming around $9.8 billion in net income in 2024, according to a press release from the company’s earnings call in February.

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